A significant percentage of the observations comprising the much-studied temperature record of the past 140 years were not air temperatures,but rather were temperatures of ocean surface waters.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is true. Many weather stations around the world were located near coastal areas and measured the temperature of the nearby surface waters, rather than the air temperature. In addition, since the oceans cover about 71% of the Earth's surface, ocean temperatures play a significant role in determining the overall temperature of the planet. Therefore, ocean temperature measurements are an important part of the temperature record used to study climate change.

A Significant Percentage of the Observations Comprising the Much-Studied Temperature