2004 was the fourth warmest year for Earth on record
Greenhouse gases and to a lesser extent the El Nino current in the Pacific Ocean contributed to making 2004 the fourth warmest year on Earth since temperature measurements began worldwide at the end of the 19th century, Nasa scientists said.
"There has been a strong warming trend over the past 30 years, a trend that has been shown to be due primarily to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," said James Hansen, a climatologist at Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, outside Washington.
The warmest years on record were, in descending order, 1998, 2002 and 2003, the National Aeronautics and Space administration said on its website.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In 2004, the average global temperature was 14 degrees Celsius (57 Fahrenheit), or 0.48 Celsius (0.86 Farenheit) warmer than any year between 1951 and 1980, Hansen said.
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