Global land and ocean temperature anomalies 1880-2023

Since the 1980s, the annual temperature departure from average has been consistently positive. In 2023, the global land and ocean surface temperature anomaly stood at 1.19 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average, the largest recorded across the displayed period.

What are temperature anomalies?

Temperature anomalies represent the difference from an average or baseline temperature. Positive anomalies show that the observed temperature was warmer than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly indicates that the observed temperature was lower than baseline. Land surface temperature anomalies are generally higher than ocean anomalies, although the exact reasons behind this phenomenon are still under debate. Temperature anomalies are generally more important in the study of climate change than absolute temperature, as they are less affected by factors such as station location and elevation.

A warming planet

The warmest years on record have been recorded over the past decade, with the highest anomaly recorded in 2023. Global warming has been greatly driven by increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Climate change is also evident in the declining extent of sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere. Weather dynamics can affect regional temperatures and – therefore – the level of warming can vary around the world. For instance, warming trends and ice loss are most obvious in the Arctic region when compared to Antarctica.