Jens Ammon
Increasing Surface Temperature
The accompanying surface temperature anomaly maps compare the average annual temperature over two 30-year periods to the average annual temperature for a 30-year base period.
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In order to capture the progression of global climate change, a mid-century interval (top) and the most recent 30 years (bottom) are compared to a pre-industrial base period of 1881-1910. While the mid-century interval is relatively split between areas of warming and cooling, the most recent interval is largely dominated by areas of warming. Such a pattern indicates that the recent decades have seen a rise in the rate of average surface temperature change.
Map Creation Process
Surface temperature anomaly data was obtained from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Surface Temperature Analysis (v4) dataset.
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The data was then compiled using ArcGIS Pro 2.7.0 and figures were created via the same program.
Symbology and Legend Revisions
While the same data shown in this set of maps, the symbology and color gradients were revised to further emphasize the difference in average temperature between the two time eras.
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Anomaly values on both maps now share a common color distribution, allowing the reader to make direct comparisons between the two maps. Even without knowing the actual numerical values assigned to each color, the warming trend can now be easily seen.
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Data and tools used in creation of the revised maps remains the same as previously noted.