Estimation of global temperature trends: What's important and what isn't

In this essay we discuss the development of and estimation of uncertainties in the global surface temperature record. We briefly discuss the similarities in and differences between the records from the institutions that produce such series. We then consider the numerous issues that must be addressed to enable accurate estimates to be derived. We consider these in their order of importance with respect to the record: biases in the sea surface temperature data, exposure of land-based thermometers before about 1900, urbanization effects in some series, and, finally, the homogeneity of individual land-based records.

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An edited version of this paper was published by Springer. Copyright 2010, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.


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Author Jones, Philip
Wigley, Tom
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2010-05-19T00:00:00
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:59:15.571588
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:10537
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Jones, Philip, Wigley, Tom. (2010). Estimation of global temperature trends: What's important and what isn't. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7ft8mhn. Accessed 22 June 2025.

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