[Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cal State L.A]
No, it's not your imagination. The nerds at NASA and California State University, Los Angeles have found that average temperatures in CA rose one degree during the second half of the 20th Century. And that's Celsius, people, which translates into...almost 2 degrees Fahernheit. Even more disturbing, the increases are taking place in urban areas, and at night, "giving us a jump start on hotter days." So who do we blame for this? Our old friends urbanization and population growth, of course. Additionally, the ocean is partly to blame. Yes, the Pacific Ocean is, like, totally messing with us: "Patzert said air temperatures were significantly influenced by fluctuations in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a basin-wide oceanic pattern similar to El Nino and La Nina but much larger, lasting many decades rather than just a few months." They just like using big words to confuse us.
· Golden State Heating Up, New NASA/University Study Finds [YubaNet]