The instrumental temperature record shows fluctuations of the temperature of the global land surface and oceans. This data is collected from several thousand meteorological stations, Antarctic research stations and satellite observations of sea-surface temperature. Currently, the longest-running temperature record is the Central England temperature data series, that starts in 1659. The longest-running quasi-global record starts in 1850.
Read more about Instrumental Temperature Record: Global Records Databases, Global Record From 1850, Calculating The Global Temperature, Uncertainties in The Temperature Record, Warmest Years, Warmest Decades
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