What the satellite temperature record is telling us about Earth's climate

News outlets are going to great lengths to throw a wet blanket on the nearly 40-year-long satellite temperature record. Yesterday, the AP’s Seth Borenstein wrote that temperature readings taken on the surface—about 6 feet from the ground—are actually better than satellites, which take their measurements from “high in orbit.” He notes the satellite record’s lack of warming has given ammo to climate doubters like presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who has been holding hearings on the alleged data tampering by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), plus the satellite temperature record.

The reason the satellite records are considered the “gold standard” in determining the Earth’s temperature is because they aren’t affected by the radiative forcings typically found on the surface (like cement and highways and buildings and airport runways). But don’t take the satellite’s record at face value; weather balloons also show that 2015 just wasn’t as hot as NOAA and NASA are now claiming.

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