Climate change index
The climate change index (IGBP Climate-Change Index) is a measure calculated annually by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) until 2011, which characterizes the change in the global climate compared to the previous year. It was presented by the IGBP in Copenhagen in December 2009 .
The index summarizes various phenomena with the same weighting, which together give a relatively stable picture of the course of climate change. These are the measured quantities of the carbon dioxide content of the earth's atmosphere , mean temperature of the earth, height of sea level and sea ice cover (summer minimum in the Arctic ).
Each parameter is normalized to a range from −100 to +100, whereby the value 0 means that no change can be determined.
Viewed individually, all of these parameters are subject to strong natural, short-term fluctuations. By using the climate change index, however, annual fluctuations in individual parameters are significantly smoothed out and the use of an additional smoothing statistical tool such as the moving average is not necessary.
The index was no longer updated after the 2011 value published in 2013; the IGBP ceased operations at the end of 2015.
Index values so far
year | index | Cumulative index |
---|---|---|
1980 | 28 | 28 |
1981 | 49 | 77 |
1982 | −21 | 56 |
1983 | 44 | 100 |
1984 | 4th | 104 |
1985 | −6 | 98 |
1986 | 9 | 107 |
1987 | 26th | 133 |
1988 | 34 | 167 |
1989 | 19th | 186 |
1990 | 33 | 219 |
1991 | 12 | 230 |
1992 | −18 | 212 |
1993 | 12 | 225 |
1994 | 21st | 246 |
1995 | 52 | 298 |
1996 | −10 | 288 |
1997 | 37 | 325 |
1998 | 50 | 375 |
1999 | 3 | 378 |
2000 | 13 | 391 |
2001 | 26th | 417 |
2002 | 42 | 459 |
2003 | 23 | 482 |
2004 | 18th | 500 |
2005 | 45 | 545 |
2006 | 10 | 555 |
2007 | 42 | 596 |
2008 | 6th | 602 |
2009 | 24 | 626 |
2010 | 37 | 663 |
2011 | 10 | 672 |
The years of the index decline can be correlated with volcanic eruptions : 1982 El Chichón , 1991 Pinatubo and 1995–97 Soufrière Hills .
Web links
- Climate change index at IGBP with graphics, accessed on October 6, 2016