The Warmest Year

Have you ever thought of what is the hottest year so far? According to scientists, 2005 is the hottest year ever recorded. many scientists claimed that even during the middle part of 2005, it has broken already the records dating back to the Great Depression when record heat caused the "Dustbowl Effect." This effect turned large amounts of the United States into desert that took decades to heal. In Australia alone, the average temperature last was 22.89 degrees. This is the highest average temperature in Australia since comprehensive record keeping began in 1910. Previously, 1998 was the hottest year in the history.

Studies tell that year 2005 exceeded previous global annual average temperatures despite experiencing weak El Niño conditions at the start of the year and normal conditions for the rest of the year. Accordingly, this 2005 record is part of a longer-term warming trend exacerbated by the rise of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere that is due primarily to our burning fossil fuels and clearing forests. Completing the top ten as the hottest years since 1880 are 2002, 2003, 2004, 2001, 1997, 1990, 1995, and 1999. Scientists are predicting that this record indicates that global warming is coming.