New Zealand has just had its warmest year ever since records began in 1867, according to a climate scientist.
Professor Jim Salinger says New Zealand's mean annual land surface temperatures were 13.5 degrees Celsius, or 0.85 degrees above the average for 1981-2010.
That compared with 2016 and 1998 which were 0.84 and 0.80 degrees above average.
This represents a heating trend of 1.3 degrees over the 151 years from 1867, Professor Salinger said.
Preliminary global figures indicate that the planet is on track to be the fourth warmest on record, he said.
The record warmth of 2018 was accompanied by warm seas around New Zealand, according to Professor Salinger. For all months of the year sea surface temperatures around New Zealand were well above average, with preliminary estimates for 2018 being 0.8 degrees above average.
And more heating is predicted for 2019, by the UK Met Office, Professor Salinger noted. Their 2019 forecast indicates that 2019 will be close to a record due to global heating and the added effect of the El Niño in the tropical Pacific, he said.
Niwa reportedly plans to publish its climate summary for 2018 next Tuesday.
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