Extending back to 1850 and frequently updated, HadCRUT4 is the longest data set of its type. HadCRUT4 is a combination of the global land surface temperature data set, CRUTEM4 and the global SST data set, HadSST3. HadCRUT4 is different from the most closely comparable products (e.g. NASA GISTEMP and NOAA MLOST) in that no interpolation is performed. As such, there are many coverage gaps; this may be a limiting factor in regional analyses but hemispheric and global means are very consistent with other data sets. Extensive analysis has been done to characterize uncertainties arising from non-climatic factors, for example changing instrumentation and observing practices, changes in station location, and changes in local land use. The resulting distribution of uncertainty is presented as an ensemble of 100 realizations of the data set. Individual ensemble members may be accessed via the Met Office webpage, though many users will likely focus on the ensemble median fields that are distributed online by CRU, Hadley Centre and other organizations.
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National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified 28 Nov 2019. "The Climate Data Guide: Global surface temperature data: HadCRUT4 and CRUTEM4." Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/global-surface-temperature-data-hadcrut4-and-crutem4.
Funding: NSF | National Science Foundation
Based at: NCAR | National Center for Atmospheric Research
A Project of: Climate Analysis Section in Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory
Created by: Climate Data Guide PIs and Staff