Dr Vicky Pope from the Met Office Hadley Centre has been attending the conference and said, “The last few days have provided an important platform for debate and confirms the need for swift action to combat further rises in global temperatures because of human behaviour.”

The last time annual mean global temperatures were below the 1961-1990 long term average was in 1985. Since then, mean surface air temperatures have continued to demonstrate a warming trend around the world. 2007 has been no exception to this, even though there has been a La Niña event which usually reduces global temperatures.

Professor Phil Jones, Director of UEA’s Climatic Research Unit, said: “The year began with a weak El Niño – the warmer relation of La Niña - and global temperatures well above the long-term average. However, since the end of April the La Niña event has taken some of the heat out of what could have been an even warmer year”.

In January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, predicted that 2007 could record global temperature well above the long term average. There was also a 60% probability that 2007 could be the warmest on record and the expected temperature for 2007 is within the range predicted.

Professor Jones said: “2007 was warmer in the Northern Hemisphere, where the year ranks second warmest, than the Southern Hemisphere, where it ranks ninth warmest”.

Met Office Climate Scientist David Parker added: “This year has also seen sea-ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere below average in each month of 2007, with record minima sea-ice reported in July, August and September. In the Southern Hemisphere, sea-ice coverage has remained close to average”.

Meanwhile, across the UK, 2007 is on course to become one of the warmest years on record. Even if the mean temperature for December is 1 °C below the 1971-2000 long term average, the year will still be the 3rd warmest since UK-wide records began in 1914. In this 94-year series, the last six years (2002-2007) are set to become the six warmest years.

The full report on the climate of 2007 is available on the WMO website http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/index_en.html. As well as information and graphics on land and sea surface temperature, it includes details on the extent of sea-ice in both hemispheres and rainfall.

For further information contact Met Office Press Office +44 (0)1392 886655 email pressoffice@metoffice.gov.uk or Annie Ogden at the University of East Anglia on +44 (0)1603 592764, email press@uea.ac.uk

• The Met Office, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia (UEA), maintains a global temperature record which is used in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is a large-scale, natural fluctuation of the ocean-atmosphere system centred across the tropical to sub-tropical Indo-Pacific region. Through teleconnections to higher latitudes in both hemispheres, ENSO impacts can extend to near-global dimensions during strong phases of its El Niño or La Niña extremes. For further information see: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/info/enso/

• Met Office Hadley Centre datasets can be found at www.hadobs.org/

Source: Met Office Hadley Centre and UEA Climatic Research Unit

Global 10 Warmest Years Mean Global temperature (°C) (anomaly with respect to 1961-1990)
1998 0.52
2005 0.48
2003 0.46
2002 0.46
2004 0.43
2006 0.42
2007(Jan-Nov) 0.41
2001 0.40
1997 0.36
1995 0.28

UK 10 Warmest Years Mean UK Temperature (°C) (anomaly with respect to 1971-2000)
2006 +1.15
2007 (Jan to 10th Dec) + 1.10
2003 + 0.92
2004 + 0.89
2002 + 0.89
2005 + 0.87
1990 + 0.83
1997 + 0.82
1949 + 0.80
1999 + 0.78