The Global Temperature Trend Monitor
Application monitoring the evolution of the global surface air temperatures
Description
The Global Temperature Trend Monitor is an application that monitors the evolution of the global surface air temperature in recent decades until the present, and uses a simple model (using a 30-year linear trend) to estimate the level of global warming on the date up to which the trend is calculated, and the date when global warming will reach the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement if the trend is maintained. The application offers a graphical representation of the change in the global average surface air temperature each month up to the selected month with respect to the pre-industrial period. A grey box indicates the estimated “global warming’” in the selected month, while a red marker indicates the point in the future at which the trend line will reach the 1.5°C limit. The estimated 1.5°C limit date, i.e. when the temperature linear trend and the 1.5°C limit line will intersect, varies depending on the set of years used for the trend estimation.
Technology
The app uses temperature data acquired from the ERA5 C3S dataset (C3S is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission), as well as the ERA5 Back Extension released in March 2023. The data for the previous 50 years are based on observations of the environment from Earth and space, which are fed into a computer model to create a consistent, long-term record of meteorological conditions. Using other global temperature datasets would change the exact numbers, although they would generally remain within the range given by the IPCC uncertainty estimate, and so the underlying message would not change.
Target
The main users are the general public, research institutions and government departments.
Business model
The app is free to access and use.
Impact
The Global Temperature Trend Monitor raises awareness of long-term global warming trends by providing up-to-date data on global temperatures.
Four Betters
Better environment
Better life
