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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The holiday season saw a worsening of unemployment rates across Lake County and California, according to the state's latest report on unemployment.
The Employment Development Department said in a Friday report that Lake County's unemployment rose from an adjusted rate of 18.8 percent in November to 19.1 percent in December, mirroring the overall rising state unemployment figures, which went from 12.3 percent in November to 12.5 percent last month.
At the same time, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said that nationwide the employment picture improved, with the unemployment rate dropping to 9.4 percent from November's 9.8 percent rate and 9.9 percent in December 2009.
Lake County's December 2009 unemployment rate was 18.2 percent, according to state records.
Lake was ranked No. 50 among the state's 58 counties for unemployment. In December it had a labor force composed of 24,710 members, of which 4,720 were unemployed. That's compared to the November labor force statistics of 24,800 people in the labor force and 4,660 without jobs.
Having the lowest unemployment in December was Marin, at 7.9 percent, contrasted with the state's highest unemployment, found in Imperial County, where 28.3 percent of the labor force is jobless.
Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks in December: Colusa, 25.2 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 17 percent, No. 44; Yolo, 14.3 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 11.6 percent, No. 19; Napa, 10.6 percent, No. 12; and Sonoma, 10 percent, No. 9.
Within Lake County itself, Upper Lake had the lowest unemployment in December at 10.2 percent, and Clearlake Oaks had the highest, with 27.9 percent.
The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county, from highest to lowest: Nice, 27.4 percent; city of Clearlake, 26.9 percent; Lucerne, 20.1 percent; Kelseyville, 19.4 percent; Middletown, 19.3 percent; city of Lakeport, 18.5 percent; Cobb, 17.2 percent; Lower Lake, 16.1 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 15.9 percent; and north Lakeport, 15.2 percent.
California's job gains way down in December
The Employment Development Department uses two separate surveys to make its report: a federal survey of 5,500 California households while a survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy.
The former survey shows estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in December was 15,946,000, a decrease of 25,000 from November, but up 78,000 from the employment total in December 2009.
That data also revealed that the number of people unemployed in California was 2,269,000 – up by 3,000 over the month, and up by 35,000 compared with December of last year.
The latter survey revealed nonfarm jobs in California totaled 13,897,100 in December, an increase of 4,900 jobs over the month, following a 30,500-job gain in November.
The year-over-year change – December 2009 to December 2010 – showed an increase of 87,500 jobs, up 0.6 percent, the report said.
The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 599,221 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the December survey week, compared with 600,196 last month and 792,764 last year.
At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 87,289 in December 2010, compared with 72,768 in November and 80,873 in December of last year, the agency reported.
The report showed that seven categories – manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 33,700 jobs. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 9,300 jobs.
Four categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and government – reported job declines this month, down 28,800 jobs, the state reported. Government posted the largest decline over the month, down by 15,400 jobs.
The Employment Development Department said seven industry divisions – manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – posted job gains over the year, adding 146,700 jobs.
Of those seven divisions, professional and business services recorded the largest increase over the year on both a numerical and percentage basis, up 66,900 jobs – a 3.3-percent increase.
The reports said that the mining and logging category recorded no change over the year.
Three categories – construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 59,200 jobs, the agency reported.
The Employment Development Department also reported that construction employment showed the largest decline over the year on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 32,900 jobs, a 5.8 percent decline.
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SANTA ROSA, Calif. – On Monday the Vatican appointed a new bishop to head up the Diocese of Santa Rosa.
Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Robert Francis Vasa, 59, of Baker, Oregon, as coadjutor bishop – or designated successor of the current bishop – for the Santa Rosa diocese, which also includes Lake County.
The appointment was publicized in Washington, DC on Monday by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Vasa will succeed Bishop Daniel F. Walsh, 73, who has served as Santa Rosa's bishop since May 2000, according to the Diocese of Santa Rosa Web site.
A coadjutor bishop is the designated successor of the current bishop of the diocese, church officials said. He assists the current bishop, who remains at the head of the diocese, in the various aspects of pastoral and spiritual leadership of the people.
Under church law, all bishops must submit their letter of resignation when they reach age 75, or earlier if circumstances indicate it, the Diocese of Santa Rosa reported. Once that resignation is accepted by the Holy Father, Bishop Vasa will automatically become bishop without any formal ceremony of installation.
Bishop Walsh, who had requested the assistance of a coadjutor, expressed his pleasure with the appointment.
“I am happy to learn of Bishop Vasa’s assignment to the Diocese of Santa Rosa, and look forward to introducing him to our parishioners and working in partnership to lay the foundation for our diocesan future,” Walsh said.
Walsh's tenure has been marked by several cases of alleged sexual abuse by priest. Critics have accused Walsh and the diocese of protecting abusive priests, a charge he has denied in statements to the region's media.
California Catholic Daily has said Vasa is “among most orthodox prelates in US,” while the Catholic Sentinel reported that Vasa has worked to uphold Catholic teachings, criticized pro-choice politicians and removed the Catholic identity of St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., where sterilizations were performed.
Vasa will become the sixth bishop of the 11,711-square-mile Diocese of Santa Rosa, which includes Sonoma, Lake, Humboldt, Mendocino and Napa counties.
He will oversee 101 priests, 35 deacons and 87 members of various religious orders, the Vatican reported.
Church officials said the diocese has a population of 909,361 people, of whom 169,567, or 18.6 percent, are Catholic, the
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Vasa studied for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary in Denver and Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln on May 22, 1976.
Bishop Vasa holds a master’s of divinity from Holy Trinity Seminary and a Canon Law Licentiate from the Gregorian University in Rome.
He served the Diocese of Lincoln in various positions, including chancellor, judicial vicar and vicar general.
In 1995 Pope John Paul II named him a “Prelate of Honor” with the title of “Monsignor.”
Vasa was appointed in November 1999 as bishop of Baker, where the diocese covers more than 66,000 square miles and has a reported 40,000 Catholics.
At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Vasa is a member of the Catholic Home Missions Subcommittee and also serves on the Task Force on Health Care.
Bishop Vasa will take up residence in the diocese on March 4.
A Mass of reception and welcome for Bishop Vasa will be celebrated at St. Eugene’s Cathedral, Santa Rosa, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 6.
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SACRAMENTO – In the wake of the release of Gov. Jerry's Brown's proposed new budget, which seeks to eliminate redevelopment agencies statewide, the State Controller's Office said Monday it is launching a review of 18 such agencies to obtain facts on redevelopment funds are used and the extent to which they comply with laws governing their activities.
“The heated debate over whether RDAs are the engines of local economic and job growth or are simply scams providing windfalls to political cronies at the expense of public services has largely been based on anecdotal evidence,” Chiang said. “As lawmakers deliberate the governor’s proposal to close RDAs and divert those funds to local schools and public safety agencies, I believe it is important to provide factual, empirical information about how these agencies perform and what they bring to the communities they serve.”
There are a reported 425 redevelopment agencies statewide, located both in counties and cities. In lake County, there are three – in each in the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake, and the county's redevelopment agency that encompasses much of the Northshore, from Upper Lake to Clearlake Oaks.
The 18 RDAs selected by the State Controller's Office for the reviews represent urban, suburban and rural communities. They are geographically diverse and represent a mix of varying populations.
The reviews will look at, among other things, how the RDAs define a “blighted” area, whether they are appropriately paying for low- and moderate-income housing as required by law, whether they are accurately “passing through” payments to schools within their community, and how much RDA officials, board members and employees are being compensated for their services.
The chosen RDAs are:
Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose (Santa Clara County)
Redevelopment Agency for the County of Riverside
Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (Los Angeles County)
Richmond Redevelopment Agency (Contra Costa County)
Redevelopment Agency of the County of Sacramento
Redevelopment Agency of the City of Pittsburg (Contra Costa County)
Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fremont (Alameda County)
Pasadena Community Development Commission (Los Angeles County)
Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fresno (Fresno County)
City of Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency (Riverside County)
Placentia Redevelopment Agency (Orange County)
Parlier Redevelopment Agency (Fresno County)
Hercules Redevelopment Agency (Contra Costa County)
Anderson Redevelopment Agency (Shasta County)
Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Citrus Heights (Sacramento County)
Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Calexico (Imperial County)
Community Development Agency of the City of Coronado (San Diego County)
City of Desert Hot Springs Redevelopment Agency (Riverside County)
To assist lawmakers in their budget debates, the reviews will be completed in early March, Chiang's office reported.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Stars of Lake County Awards Program is seeking nominations for its 2011 awards, and winners will join a lengthy and impressive list of people who have worked hard to make their community a better place.
The deadline for the 2011 Stars of Lake County Community Awards is Friday, Jan. 28, 5 p.m., or must be postmarked by January 28.
Nomination forms are available on the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Web site at www.lakecochamber.com or by calling the office at 707-263-5092.
Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton said that in the award program's 13 years it has honored 260 people, plus hundreds more nominees.
In February 1998, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce held the inaugural Stars of Lake County Community Awards Program. “We began with about a dozen categories which have now grown to 21,” Fulton said.
The concept was to bring recognition to people, organizations and businesses who work to make Lake County a better place to live, work and play, she explained.
She said it's a misconception that the awards program is a popularity contest. “As you read through the list, it’s obvious that the bulk of the recipients are not names you see in the news,” she said. “The recipients are entities who go about working to improve our quality of life, to care for others in our communities, who go out of their way to make life better in Lake County.”
Fulton said so many people tell the chamber how amazed they are when nominated.
The process includes submission of a nomination – anyone can write one, said Fulton – which is then reviewed by chamber staff, which looks at whether or not more detail is required.
Each nominee receives a letter notifying them they have been nominated, giving them information about the dinner and tickets; they are asked to provide a photo or come to our office so we may take a photo. Photos are used to create a video which is played during the reception and dinner at Stars.
The chamber staff compiles the nominations into a book, copies if which are supplied to every member of the Stars Selection Committee, comprised of people from all around the county, chosen because they know their community.
Fulton said the selection committee has approximately one week to read all the nominations, then they are brought together for a four- to five-hour meeting where they discuss all the nominees in every category.
The committee then casts secret ballots which are collected, tallied and noted for the awards to be created, Fulton explained. She said only three people know who the recipients are until the evening of the awards when they are announced.
The discussion of the selection committee can sometimes reveal details that were not included in the nominations and that information is also taken into consideration prior to the voting.
The list of winners follows.
Man of the Year
1999 Frank Cammarata
2000 George McQueen
2000 John Tomkins
2001 Jim McMurray
2002 Mike Gayeski
2003 Kenny Parlet
2004 Howard Chase
2005 Kendall Fults
2006 Dennis Rollins
2007 John Norcio
2008 Dave Fesmire
2009 Willie Sapeta
2010 Tom Hewlett, DDS
Woman of the Year
1999 Judi Pollace
2000 Nancy Ruzicka
2001 Dana Kearney
2002 Debbie Nordell
2003 Marie Steele
2004 Karen Hansen
2005 Jeri Spittler
2006 Kelly Mather
2007 Dr. Louise Nan
2008 Ginny Craven
2009 Georgina Lehne
2010 Cheri Johnson
Large Business
1998 Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa
1999 Cinema 5
2000 Outrageous Waters
2001 Shore Line Realty
2002 Foods, Etc.
2003 Lake Community Bank
2004 Private Harvest
2005 Jonas Oil
2006 Kelseyville Lumber
2007 Piedmont Lumber & Nursery
2008 Shannon Ridge Winery
2009 Umpqua Bank
2010 Lakeport Grocery Outlet
Small Business
1998 Dart Couriers
1998 Northlake Medical Pharmacy
1999 Hillside Honda/Yamaha
2000 Ployez Winery
2001 Material Solutions, Inc.
2002 Edgewater Resort
2003 Judy's Junction Family Restaurant
2004 Calistoga Press
2005 Clearlake Florist
2006 Big "O" Tire
2007 Strong Financial Network
2008 Kerrie's Quilting
2009 Solo Flight Academy International
2010 A & B Collision
New Business
2005 Rob Roy Golf Club
2006 Blue Wing Saloon & Café
2007 Aero Airport Shuttle & Charter Service
2008 Wild About Books
2009 Harbor Artists Village
2010 LuLu's Ice Cream & Desserts
Agriculture
1998 Myron & Marilyn Holdenreid
1999 Madeline Lyons
2000 Toni Scully
2001 Bob Roumiguiere
2002 David Tuttle
2003 Eric Seely
2004 Chuck March
2005 Alexander Suchan
2006 Kelseyville Pear Festival
2007 Jim Fetzer, Ceago Vinegarden
2008 CA Women for Ag & Lake County Farm Bureau
2009 Lake County Community Co-Op
2010 Renker Farms
Youth Advocate
1998 John & Pat Norcio
1999 Judi Graham
2000 Jeff & Donelle McCallister
2001 Tom Aiken
2002 "Volunteer" Ray Starks
2002 "Professional" Nick Biondo
2003 "Volunteer" Dave McGrath
2003 "Professional" Susan Cordell
2004 "Volunteer" David Lane
2004 "Professional" John Berry
2005 "Volunteer" Elaine Mansell
2005 "Professional" Mark Conrad
2006 "Volunteer" Andi Skelton
2006 "Professional" Carle' High School Staff
2007 "Volunteer" Roy & Charlotte Disney
2007 "Professional" Mike Stempe
2008 "Volunteer" Helen Finch
2008 "Professional" Adam Garcia
2009 "Volunteer" Shel Bush
2009 "Professional" Anna Santana
2010 "Volunteer" Darren Brookshire
2010 "Professional" Jill Hoeffer
Bo Tipton Award / Student
1998 Jared Holly
1999 Bonnie Ryan
2000 Anne Marie Montero
2001 Tricia Fettig
2002 Brittany Mills
2003 Nicole Hellwege
2004 Quincey-Kaye Butler
2005 Michelle Wells
2006 Eric Clow
2007 "Male" Jorel Allegro
2007 "Female" Lauren Nixon
2008 "Male" Erik Jameson
2008 "Female" Krista Collins
2009 "Male" Anthony Tavares
2009 "Female" Alma Martinez
2010 "Male" Benjamin Mullin
2010 "Female" Cylinda Neidenbach
Art Person of the Year
2002 Rebecca Robinson
2003 The Lake County Arts Council
2004 "Amateur" Cody Rose
2004 "Professional" Rolf Kriken
2005 "Amateur" Michelle John-Smith
2005 "Professional" Bob Minenna
2006 "Amateur" Saundra Combs
2006 "Professional" Karen Turcotte
2007 "Amateur" Cindy Car
2007 "Professional" Caroline Greenlee
2008 "Amateur" Shelby Posada
2008 "Professional" Ron Keas
2009 "Amateur" Patsy Mitchell
2009 "Professional" Gail Salituri
2010 "Amateur" Bert Hutt
2010 "Professional" No Award
Volunteer of the Year
1998 Ellen Sylar
1999 Sue Evans
2000 Arlene Carter
2001 Carl Shauger
2002 Nancy & Grant Cary
2003 Carl Webb
2004 Vicki Ellsworth
2005 Bob Kiel
2006 Jerry and Mary Ann McQueen
2007 Margaret Medeiros
2008 William Barrows & Connie Miller
2009 Bill and Carolyn Tobin
2010 Denise Johnson
Year Humanitarian of the Year
1998 Art Thompson
1999 Bernie Edwards
2000 Mary Borjon
2001 Ilene Dumont
2001 June Wilcox
2002 Steve Brooks
2003 Joy Swetnam
2004 Debbie White
2005 Kathy Porovich
2006 Hedy Montoya
2007 Dr. Tony Veletto
2008 Susie Wiloth
2009 Faith Hornby
2010 Debra Rodrigue
Year Senior of the Year
1998 Jack Devine
1999 Bonnie Trumble
2000 Walter Robinson
2001 Virginia Martin
2002 Beverly Bergstrom
2003 Mae Nahmias
2004 Jo Rodriguez
2005 Howard Stuckey
2006 Marilyn Johnson
2007 Shari Koch
2008 Floyd Surber
2009 Treva Ryan
2010 Jean Welch
Best Idea of the Year
1998 Lake County Summerfest
1999 Outrageous Waters
2000 Westside Community Park
2001 Lake County Passion Play
2002 Lake County Sheriff's Citizen's Academy
2003 Pearl Harbor Memorial, Lakeport Rotary Project
2004 Lakeside Wellness Foundation
2005 Wine Country Carriage Classic
2006 Arnna-Marie Egan – Shirts Off Our Back
2007 Blue Grass Festival
2008 Team DUI
2009 "Ageless Dream Day" – Orchard Park
2010 Woody's Café
Organization of the Year
1998 Boy's & Girl's Club
1999 Business Outreach & Response Team (BORT)
2000 Clearlake Performing Arts
2001 "Non-Profit" Sutter Lakeside Community Services
2001 "Volunteer" Lake County Revitalization
2002 "Non-Profit" DAAC
2002 "Volunteer" Kelseyville K-Corp
2003 "Non-Profit" Lake County Community Action Agency
2003 "Volunteer" Lakeport Sea Scouts, Ship Genesis #191
2004 "Non-Profit" Habitat For Humanity, Lake County
2004 "Volunteer" Lake County Wildlife Rescue Center
2005 "Non-Profit" Hospice Services of Lake County
2005 "Volunteer" United Veteran's Council of Lake County
2006 "Non-Profit" RCHCD-Rural Communities Housing Dev. Corp.
2006 "Volunteer" Lake County Animal Services
2007 "Non-Profit" Meals On Wheels
2007 "Volunteer" Free Kitchen Project
2008 "Non-Profit" Lakeside Dental Clinic
2008 "Volunteer" Sponsoring Survivorship
2009 "Non-Profit" People Services, Inc.
2009 "Volunteer" Operation Tango Mike
2010 "Non-Profit" Mt. Konocti Facilitation
2010 "Volunteer" Lake County AARP Tax Preparers
Local Hero of the Year
1999 Steve Sprague
2000 Clattie Mandeville
2001 Sarah Focose
2002 Dr. Arthur Bikangaga
2003 Joy Gabriel
2004 Fred Wendt
2005 Mary Alice Glenn
2006 Derek Woodcock, R.J. Hudson, Lindsey Hamner, Dannille Hamner, Taylor Butler, Quincey Butler, Tyler Brin, James Beall, Sloan Reynolds
2007 Sgt. Mike Hermann
2008 Javier Batres
2009 Walt Foster
2010 No Award
Lifetime Achievement
1998 Alden Jones
1999 Baird Anton
1999 Dr. Donald Browning
2000 Richard Freeborn
2001 David Borjon
2002 Marian Geoble
2003 Donald Ellis
2004 Carl Braito
2005 May Noble
2006 Edgar Hill
2007 "Male" Bill Cornelison
2007 "Female" Thelma Dangel
2008 "Male" Don Emerson
2008 "Female" Joan Holman
2008 "Couple" Robert & Nadine Strauss
2009 "Male" Father Philip Ryan
2009 "Female" Eva Johnson
2010 Mildred Pickersgill
Spirit of Lake County
2001 Tony Jack
2002 Lucille Hill
2003 Hardester's Market & Hardware
2004 James Dougan
2005 Peter Windrem
2006 Brad Gatton
2007 David Neft
2008 Kacey Tallman
2009 Duane Furman
2010 Harry Graves
Parents of the Year
1998 Michael & Diana Lunas
1999 Guy & Kim Tipton
Benefactor
1998 Orville Magoon
1999 James Soper
2000 Lake County Wine Alliance
Business Leader
1998 Bill Brunetti
Environmental
2006 Redbud Audubon Society
2007 Frank Meisenbach
2008 Val & Tom Nixon
2009 Leona Butts
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A local doctor who led a medical team on a journey to Haiti will share her experiences in a special event in February.
Dr. Paula Dhanda will speak at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, at The Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, 3825 Main St., Kelseyville.
She and her team invite the community to join them for this free gathering to learn more about their experiences in Haiti and about other local and global missions that are being planned.
Dr. Dhanda led a nine-member medical team to provide desperately needed medical care to the people of Haiti.
The team consisted of four physicians, a nurse practitioner, three nurses and a medical assistant.
They partnered with Haitian health care workers as well as international doctors, nurses, pharmacists, EMTs and physical therapists at Project Medishare, the only critical care hospital in the country.
During their two week mission they worked excruciatingly long hours performing numerous surgeries, caring for babies and children in intensive care, and seeing hundreds of patients in the clinic.
The physical and emotional toll on those who provide care in places like Haiti is immense.
“An important part of our mission is to provide training to the local staff but we really all learned from each other,” Dhanda said.
During their stay in Haiti, Dr. Dhanda and her volunteer team witnessed the increased tension and anger caused by the presidential election. Rioting in the streets and gunshots could be heard outside of the hospital.
The volunteers were protected by armed guards outside their sleeping quarters as well as at the hospital gates, and for their safety they were advised not to leave the hospital compound.
The Haitian staff at the clinic expressed gratitude to the volunteers for choosing to stay during this difficult time.
As the international community and news media lost interest in Haiti's plight to favor reporting on areas of the globe, Haiti has progressively received less aid both in the way of volunteers and donations.
One year after the earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital, only 5 percent of the rubble has been removed.
More than 3,000 people have died from the ongoing cholera epidemic and one million people are still living in tents.
Dr. Dhanda expressed her hope for a country that has touched her heart. “I have great admiration for the resilience of the Haitian people who have endured so much hardship and yet continue to be strong and hopeful.”
She added, “I am uplifted by the outpouring of good will and generosity of this community. Global and local missions would not be possible without this vital support.”
In addition to the expense of travel, the volunteers paid for vaccinations, prophylactic medications for malaria, and donated to Project Medishare to cover the cost of food and housing.
Other urgently needed medical supplies that were donated included morphine, antibiotics and surgical supplies, including sutures, surgical packs and gloves.
In order to help fund future needed medical aid trips such as the one to Haiti, Dr. Dhanda has created a personal skin care line offering free skin consultations along with highly effective product solutions to common problems such as wrinkles, acne, dry skin and fine lines. One hundred percent of all sales profits go to fund future mission work.
For more information please call Dr. Dhanda’s office at 707-279-8733 or visit her blog www.drpauladhanda.com .
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WASHINGTON, DC – Global surface temperatures in 2010 tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to an analysis released by researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
The two years differed by less than 0.018 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is smaller than the uncertainty in comparing the temperatures of recent years, putting them into a statistical tie.
In the new analysis, the next warmest years are 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009, which are statistically tied for third warmest year. The GISS records begin in 1880.
The analysis found 2010 approximately 1.34 F warmer than the average global surface temperature from 1951 to 1980.
To measure climate change, scientists look at long-term trends. The temperature trend, including data from 2010, shows the climate has warmed by approximately 0.36 F per decade since the late 1970s.
“If the warming trend continues, as is expected, if greenhouse gases continue to increase, the 2010 record will not stand for long,” said James Hansen, the director of GISS.
The analysis produced at GISS is compiled from weather data from more than 1000 meteorological stations around the world, satellite observations of sea surface temperature and Antarctic research station measurements.
A computer program uses the data to calculate temperature anomalies – the difference between surface temperature in a given month and the average temperature for the same period during 1951 to 1980. This three-decade period acts as a baseline for the analysis.
The resulting temperature record closely matches others independently produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center.
The record temperature in 2010 is particularly noteworthy, because the last half of the year was marked by a transition to strong La Niña conditions, which bring cool sea surface temperatures to the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
“Global temperature is rising as fast in the past decade as in the prior two decades, despite year-to-year fluctuations associated with the El Niño-La Niña cycle of tropical ocean temperature,” Hansen and colleagues reported in the Dec. 14, 2010, issue of Reviews of Geophysics.
A chilly spell also struck this winter across northern Europe. The event may have been influenced by the decline of Arctic sea ice and could be linked to warming temperatures at more northern latitudes.
Arctic sea ice acts like a blanket, insulating the atmosphere from the ocean's heat. Take away that blanket, and the heat can escape into the atmosphere, increasing local surface temperatures. Regions in northeast Canada were more than 18 degrees warmer than normal in December.
The loss of sea ice may also be driving Arctic air into the middle latitudes. Winter weather patterns are notoriously chaotic, and the GISS analysis finds seven of the last 10 European winters warmer than the average from 1951 to 1980.
The unusual cold in the past two winters has caused scientists to begin to speculate about a potential connection to sea ice changes.
“One possibility is that the heat source due to open water in Hudson Bay affected Arctic wind patterns, with a seesaw pattern that has Arctic air downstream pouring into Europe,” Hansen said.
For more information about GISS's surface temperature record, visit
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/ .
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