Quote:
Originally Posted by chipmunk
1. Where the temperatures were taken - local, global, water, landmass, etc.
2. Method of measurement - fossil records, thermometers, radio isotopes, etc. (If it's averaged, explain if the averaging takes into account the geographical weightage. For example, if Asian temperatures were averaged, did they have 1 measurement point in a small landmass like Japan and 1 in all of China? Or if the ocean temperatures are averaged, did they have 1 point in the Pacific and 1 in Arctic?)
3. How that certain location, method, and calculation are relevant to this whole phenomenon.
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1. temps plotted are global average
2. Check the link. Short version: there are methods for developing realistic "global average" temps, and no, they're not taking 1 data point from Japan and 1 data point from China and weighting them equally (geez...)
3. relevant because we're gonna be living on this globe to the end of our days (except maybe ol muskie and some indentured servants)
NASA’s temperature analyses incorporate surface temperature measurements from more than 20,000 weather stations, ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures, and temperature measurements from Antarctic research stations. These in situ measurements are analyzed using an algorithm that considers the varied spacing of temperature stations around the globe and urban heat island effects.