WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The global surface temperatures in 2019 were the second warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by the U.S. space agency NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The global temperature in 2019 were second only to those of 2016, displaying the planet's long-term warming trend, according to the NASA-NOAA report released on Wednesday.
The global temperatures in 2019 were 0.98 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1951 to 1980 mean, making the past five years the warmest of the last 140 years, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
NOAA's analysis found that 2019 global temperatures were 0.95 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average.
Also, the 2010s averaged 14.7 degrees Celsius worldwide, 0.8 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th century average, making it hottest decade on record, according to NOAA.
"This shows that what's happening is persistent, not a fluke due to some weather phenomenon," said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt.
Scientists from the World Meteorological Organization also ranked 2019 second warmest for the globe.
Climate models and statistical analysis showed that this increase mostly has been driven by increased emissions into the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by human activities.
"We know that the long-term trends are being driven by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," said Schmidt.
