Global Temperature Anomalies:
Trends in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Global Temperature Anomalies: Trends in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Introduction to the topic

Global climate change is one of the most critical challenges of our time. This visualization explores thermal anomalies recorded from 1950 to 2025, comparing differentiated patterns between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Dataset Description

Dataset: Annual global temperature anomalies relative to the 1861–1890 baseline

• Period: 1850–2025 (projected)
• Variables: Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere
• Units: °C deviation
• Temporal resolution: Annual

Objective of the visualization

To identify differentiated warming patterns between hemispheres and correlate them with global climatic events and environmental policies implemented during each historical period.

Methodology

1. Cleaning: Removal of null values (0.2% of total)
2. Transformation: Normalization relative to the baseline period
3. Filtering: Exclusion of records prior to 1950 for focused analysis
4. Smoothing: Application of a 6th-degree polynomial filter

Key findings

• The Northern Hemisphere shows 1.2× greater thermal variability
• Events such as El Niño (2014–2016) generate synchronous peaks
• The 1960s–1970s decade shows the only sustained cooling period
• The post-1980 warming rate is 3× higher than the 1950–1980 period

Source

• Our World in Data – Global Temperature Anomalies