NOAA uses temperature data starting in the 1880s in determining temperature trends. They use tens of thousands of monitoring points with multiple back ups. The trending data is based on anomalies in temperature averages as a more precise form of data collection than simple average temperature. This way, if recording stations fail or record very localized temperature phenomena, the overall effect is greatly reduced from influencing the data. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the report is that the temperature gains are highest on larger land masses which in turn are where most of the human populations reside.
[...] body of scientist who are deeply engaged in helping develop public policy and education based on hard, empirical data. The Union of Concerned Scientists is putting this campaign together to put a face to the folks who [...]