Prompt Cast
Unreliable and Inconsistent: Challenges in Recording Global Temperature Extremes
TLDR Global temperature records, particularly those on a global scale, can be contentious and difficult to verify. Early temperature records were not very accurate or precise, and inconsistencies in recording formats and sudden temperature increases raise doubts about the reliability of certain records.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Global temperature records, especially those on a global scale, can be contentious and take years to be verified.
01:36
Temperature records have only been kept since around 1800, and early records were not very accurate or precise, often just logs kept by military bases or private citizens.
03:02
The record of global temperature extremes from an Italian military outpost in the 18th century is unreliable and has several inconsistencies, including a sudden increase in temperatures and a change in handwriting and recording format.
04:26
The highest recorded temperature, excluding controversial records, is 54°C or 129.2°F, recorded in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, in 2013, Mitraba in Kuwait in 2016, and Turbat, Pakistan in 2017.
06:05
An unverified temperature of 54.4°C or 129.9°F was recorded at Furnace Creek in both 2020 and 2021, and there are three types of temperature records: air temperature, ground temperature, and satellite temperature.
07:47
Death Valley is the lowest point in the United States and is surrounded by high mountains that trap heat, while Vostok Station in Antarctica is the perfect place for ultra cold weather.
09:14
Vostok Station in Antarctica has recorded the coldest satellite temperature of minus 93.2 degrees Celsius or minus 135.8 degrees Fahrenheit, but our temperature records are relatively recent and likely do not represent the highest and lowest temperatures the Earth has experienced in the last several thousand years.
