The decade 2000-2010 was the warmest since records began in 1850, with global land and sea

surface temperatures estimated at 0.46C above the long-term average (1961-1990) of 14.0C. Ten of these years were among the ten warmest on record. The warmest year on record was 2010, closely followed by 2005, with a mean temperature estimated at 0.53 C above the long-term average. It was the warmest decade ever recorded for global land surface, sea surface and for every continent.

Most parts of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Asia and northern Africa recorded temperatures for the decade between 1C and 3C above the 1961-1990 average. Nearly 90 percent of the countries involved in the assessment experienced their warmest decade on record.

Global precipitation (rain, snow etc) over land in 2001-2010 was the second highest average after 1951-60 since 1901. Within this global average, there were big regional and annual differences. Large parts of the Northern Hemisphere recorded wetter-than-average conditions during the decade, especially the eastern United States of America, northern and eastern Canada, and many parts of Europe and central Asia. South America, including Colombia, parts of northern and southern Brazil, Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina experienced wetter-than-average conditions, as did most parts of South Africa, Indonesia and northern Australia. In contrast, other regions experienced, on average, below normal precipitation.

Numerous weather and climate extremes affected almost every part of the globe with flooding, droughts,
cyclones, HEAT WAVES , and COLD WAVES. Two exceptional Heat Waves hit Europe and Russia during summer 2003 and 2010 respectively with disastrous impacts and thousands of deaths and outbreaks of prolonged bush fires. Flooding was the most reported extreme event during the decade with many parts of the world affected. Historical widespread and prolonged flooding affected Eastern Europe in 2001 and 2005, Africa in 2008, Asia (in particular Pakistan) in 2010 and India in 2005, and Australia in 2010. A large number of countries reported extreme drought conditions, including Australia, eastern Africa, the Amazonia region and the western United States.

The decline in the Arctic sea-ice, observed since the end of the 1960s, continued throughout 2001-2010. A historical low Arctic sea-ice extent at the MELTING period in September was recorded in 2007.