![The map shows in degrees Celsius the difference between the average annual temperature in 2006 …[Credits : NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/11/97111-004-18562F24.jpg)
The map shows in degrees Celsius the difference between the average annual temperature in 2006 (October 2005 to September 2006) and the average annual temperature during the base period 1951–80. The difference was greatest in the Arctic, where the annual average temperature had increased by as much as 4.1 °C (7.4 °F).
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