Data for end-of-chapter problems

This page is for the third edition of the textbook. Note that data providers occasionally move the data, so it’s possible that the links are broken. If you find a broken link, please email me to let me know.

The chapter 2 problems use data from Berkeley Earth. Their main data page can be found here.

problem 2.7: The most recent Berkeley Earth annual temperature data can be found here. This .txt file can be opened with Excel and it contains annual and global average temperatures as well as a smoothed time series that filters out the short-term variability. It also contains two versions — one in which they use air temperature above sea ice and the other in which they use water temperature below sea ice. These are quite similar and it doesn’t really matter which one you use.

Update Sept. 20, 2023: The Berkeley website is not as stable as one would hope, and sometimes it’s not available. If it stops and you need an alternative, I’ve uploaded the NASA GISS annual and global average temperature data here. This file is a .csv and contains one column, the global average temperature.

problem 2.8: The most recent Berkeley Earth monthly temperature data can be found here. This .txt file contains monthly and global average temperatures as well as annual, 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year smoothed time series, as well as uncertainties. It also contains two versions — one in which they use air temperature above sea ice and the other in which they use water temperature below sea ice. These are quite similar and it doesn’t really matter which one you use.

Update Sept. 20, 2023: If the Berkeley link is not working, I’ve uploaded the NASA GISS monthly global average temperature data here. This file is a .csv and contains one column, the monthly global average temperature.

problem 2.10: The Berkeley Earth station data is located here. [Update Sept. 20, 2023: this link appears to be dead]

problem 2.12: The Berkeley Earth annual average land temperatures (adjusted) can be found here. The raw (unadjusted) annual average land temperatures are here. The raw time series has not been updated since 2021, but that shouldn’t impact the comparison.

problem 5.9: The NOAA greenhouse gas data can be found here. On this page, you select your station, then select the gas you want to look at, then select time series.