Global climate in 2014 marked by extreme heat and flooding

Record ocean heat, high land-surface temperatures and devastating flooding were some of the defining characteristics of the global climate in 2014, which was nominally the warmest year on record, although by a very small margin, according to a detailed analysis by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2014 confirmed the continuation of the warming trend over the past few decades, with 14 of the 15 hottest years on record occurring this century.

The report gave details of national and regional temperatures and precipitation, tropical cyclones, sea level rise and sea ice extent. It included an analysis from the Met Office in the United Kingdom on the human influence on climate, which significantly increased the likelihood of the observed record-breaking temperatures in the United Kingdom in 2014.

The report was released to coincide with World Meteorological Day 23 March which promotes the theme "Climate Knowledge for Climate Action". This title was chosen to highlight the progress in climate science and services like seasonal predictions, and to encourage the international community to move this year towards ambitious decisions and actions to address climate variability and change.

"We have sound climate knowledge to inform climate action and to keep climate change impacts to a manageable level. The cost of inaction is high and will become even higher," said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. "We must face our responsibilities to future generations and act to cut greenhouse gas emissions before we run out of time," he said.

"Multiple lines of evidence -- from mounting surface temperatures to shrinking glaciers, from sea-level rise to weather extremes -- show that the climate is changing and that this is largely due to human activities, as highlighted by the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," said Jarraud.

"The record-breaking temperatures, extreme precipitation and floods we witnessed in 2014 are consistent with what we expect from a warming climate because of increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," he said.

Jarraud pointed out that the ocean is critically important because it absorbs over 93 percent of the excess heat. "Sea surface temperatures -- and levels -- are rising and the heat is penetrating to lower depths. This will have major implications for the future," he said.