January 2013 Climate Digest • iPad Video
SOS Playlists
SOS Playlist
Overview
Each month, we will provide information regarding the previous month’s climate. Overall, preliminary data analysis suggests that January 2013 was the 9th warmest on record (since 1880). Major stories include warmer than normal United States, dry conditions in China, and snowy conditions for much of Eurasia.
January 2013 Highlights Preview • iPad Video
Highlights Dataset
Dataset Name: 20130222 EarthNow: January 2013 Highlights
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- This dataset shows some of the major January weather and climate highlights from the National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) monthly global climate analysis, and serves as an overview of what can be discussed in the datasets that follow. Highlights are noted below with more information.
- United States: 39th warmest on record (since 1895)
- Australia: Highest maximum January temperature on record (1909). January 7th was also the warmest day on record, at 40.33˚C (104.59˚F)
- China: Driest January since 1986, at 6.7 mm below the 1981-2010 average.
- Israel, Lebanon, Jordan: Unusual snowstorm was largest such storm since 1992. Up to 20 cm of snow fell on January 10th.
- Arctic Sea Ice Extent: Sixth smallest on record, at 7.2% below the 1979-2000 average.
- Antarctic Sea Ice Extent: Seventh largest on record, at 14.0% above the 1979-2000 average.
January 2013 Temperatures Preview • iPad Video
Global Temperature Anomalies Dataset
Dataset Name: 20130222 EarthNow: RT Monthly Temperature Anomalies
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- Using the real-time Monthly Temperature Anomalies dataset is a great way to convey where some of the warmer and cooler than average areas were in December, including those mentioned above in the highlights.
- The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for January was the 9th warmest on record (since 1880).
January 2013 SST Preview • iPad Video
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies Dataset
Dataset Name: 20130222 EarthNow: RT SST Anomalies
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- The real-time sea surface temperature anomaly dataset is a great way to visualize the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle in the eastern tropical Pacific ocean. For January 2013, these waters were just slightly below average, indicating an ENSO Neutral period.
- Remember that the blues indicate cooler than average temperatures and reds indicate warmer than average temperatures (white: average).
January 2013 Snow and Ice Preview • iPad Video
Snow and Ice Cover Dataset
Dataset Name: 20130222 EarthNow: RT Snow and Ice Cover
Full Map Image
- Aside from helping to illustrate seasonal changes, the real-time Snow and Ice Cover dataset is a great way to convey sea ice change through time, including discussing how the current sea ice extent compares to other noteworthy years.
- The Arctic sea ice extent in January was the sixth smallest on record. The extent was 7.2% below the 1979-2000 average.
- In Antarctica, the sea ice extent was the seventh largest on record, at 14.0% above the 1979-2000 average.
- At 370,000 square kilometers above average, the North American snow cover extent was the 13th largest on record (since 1967).
- The Eurasian snow cover extent was the sixth largest on record (since 1967), at 1.51 million square kilometers above average.
Where do I find the datasets?
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First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category.
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If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.
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Then download and use playlist files at the top of the page (or create your own) and make sure they are in /home/sos/sosrc or /home/sosdemo/sosrc.
- More detailed information here
Helpful Resources for More Information
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/teleconnections/enso/enso-tech.php About ENSO (El Niño/La Niña)
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/ NCDC’s Global Climate Report
