Average Temperature Anomaly

• This resource displays the global average land-sea temperature anomaly relative to the 1961-1990 average temperature in the form of an interactive chart and a table. 
• The median temperature anomaly clearly shows an increase over time. 
• The upper and lower 95% confidence intervals are also provided. 

Positives

• This interactive provides two different ways for students to explore data (chart and table).
• Students may choose to view global datasets or datasets for the northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere, and the tropics.
• An added benefit is that the site explains how the data was collected.

Additional Prerequisites

• There are multiple layers of data to explore and navigate. Teachers should familiarize themselves with the various capabilities of the interactive and notice the various ways to add and remove datasets to the table and chart. 
• Because the interactive provides so many options for viewing the data, students may need to be provided with clear instructions as to which dataset to explore.
• It is critical to note that this does not fully explain how much the planet has warmed since preindustrial times. This anomaly uses a baseline of the average temperature from 1961-1990. However, Earth had already warmed by then. For a different snapshot, see this Global Temperature Map from NASA, which uses a different baseline.

Differentiation

• Cross-curricular connections can be made with math classes by using this interactive to explore ratios and percentages.
• Students or small groups could be assigned hemispheres and explore how their group data compares to the global data.
• This can be used to introduce climate change in science classes by having students generate a list of questions about the data, which can guide future lessons.

Methods in assembling observational temperature change, estimating from the base records of 1961-1990, and quantifying uncertainties are appropriate. This resource is recommended for students to gain knowledge on global temperature anomalies.