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Central England Temperature Records
The Central England Temperature series was originally constructed by the late Professor Gordon Manley, and is now routinely updated by the Hadley Centre. The graph indicates yearly mean values since 1659
and indicates that there have been frequent fluctuations over that time period.
What is noticeable in the context of global warming is the recent rise in the temperature since around 1890. In a way this temperature rise is to be expected since the perdiod of 1650- 1890 is frequently known as the little ice age and one would expect a rise in temperature as we come out of this period.
If global warming models are correct, the mean temperature may rise by between 1 and 6 degrees celcius over the next 100 years. To put that in context, the 1990s seen as a very mild decade for the UK (with few severe cold outbreaks) were only 0.6c above the 1961-1990 average.
A 2c rise over the next 100 years could cause huge changes to the UK climate. A 6c rise will cause massive economic disruption and hardship.
The 1990s decade was nearly 0.6degC warmer than the 1961-90 average. The full monthly series from 1659 is available from the Hadley Centre.
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