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HadCRUT3 dataset

January 2010: A number of corrections have been made to the station data that are used to produce CRUTEM3 and HadCRUT3.

HadCRUT3 is a gridded dataset of global historical surface temperature anomalies. Data are available for each month since January 1850, on a 5 degree grid. The dataset is a collaborative product of the Met Office Hadley Centre and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.

Brief description of the data

The gridded data are a blend of the CRUTEM3 land-surface air temperature dataset and the HadSST2 sea-surface temperature dataset. As well as a best-estimate valuue for the surface temperature, a comprehensive set of uncertainty estimates are available. The image below shows near surface temperature anomalies for the most recent available month. A plus sign in any grid box indicates that the temperature anomaly in that grid box this month is the highest since the dataset starts in January 1850. Similarly a minus sign signals the lowest anomaly since 1850.

Map of combined land-surface and sea-surface temperature anomalies from HadCRUT3

Go to download page Data are available from the download page without charge for the purposes of private study and scientific research, but please read the terms and conditions.

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References

When using the data set in a paper, the following is the correct citation to use:

P. Brohan, J.J. Kennedy, I. Harris, S.F.B. Tett and P.D. Jones, Uncertainty estimates in regional and global observed temperature changes: a new dataset from 1850. J. Geophys. Res, 111, D12106, doi:10.1029/2005JD006548. (pdf 1.2Mb)

Other information

Various diagnostics are produced from the monthly gridded fields. These include images of monthly anomaly patterns, and global, regional and local time-series.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Dataset produced in collaboration with:

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