Even as the United States suffered a blistering March in which more than 15,000 daily heat records were set, the globe had a comparatively cool month.
According to NOAA, for the entire planet, March 2012 was the coolest March since 1999. The planet’s average temperature of 55.73 degrees Fahrenheit was nonetheless 0.83 degrees above the 20th century average. Some of the planet’s cooler-than-in-recent-years temperatures were attributed to La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean. This feature is now dissipating.
As the planet’s temperature moderated a bit in March, there also was a modest recovery in the Arctic Sea Ice, which is near the average extent of 1979 to 2000.
According to the sea ice experts, data on the age of this winter’s ice indicate that despite the higher extent compared to recent years, the winter sea ice continues to be dominated by younger and thinner sea ice. Accordingly they expect this newly grown ice to melt quickly this summer.
We will have to see.