NASA ranks 2021 equal sixth-hottest year, despite La Nina dampening

Global average temperatures were the equal sixth-warmest on record in 2021, despite La Nina-driven rain in Australia.

Camping in Onslow in Western Australia. The area had a record temperature of 50.7C on January 13. Picture: Plugshare

Global average temperatures were the equal sixth-warmest on record in 2021 according to US space agency NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The La Nina conditions that have produced heavy rains and lower temperatures in Australia curbed the global average by an estimated 0.03C.

The Bureau of Meteorology has ranked Australia’s average temperatures in 2021 as the coolest in nearly a decade.

For the first time in five years no large parts of the country were experiencing rainfall deficits and drought conditions.

On Friday, BoM said an unofficial temperature record for Western Australia of 50.7C was recorded in Onslow on January 13, a reading equal to Australia’s hottest day set 62 years ago in Oodnadatta, South Australia.

NASA said Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2021 tied with 2018 at 0.85C above the average for the period 1951-80.

Collectively, the past eight years were the warmest years since modern record keeping began in 1880 with 2021 about 1.1C warmer than the late 19th century average, the start of the industrial revolution. NASA administrator Bill Nelson said climate change remained “the existential threat of our time”.

“Eight of the top 10 warmest years on our planet occurred in the last decade, an indisputable fact that underscores the need for bold action to safeguard the future of our country – and all of humanity,” he said.

NOAA also concluded that the global surface temperature for 2021 was the sixth-highest since record keeping began in 1880. Global ocean temperatures in 2021 were the seventh-warmest on record, and global land temperatures the sixth-warmest.

NASA said the warming trend as due to human activities that have increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“The planet is already seeing the effects of global warming: Arctic sea ice is declining, sea levels are rising, wildfires are becoming more severe and animal migration patterns are shifting,” NASA said.

“Understanding how the planet is changing – and how rapidly that change occurs – is crucial for humanity to prepare for and adapt to a warmer world.”