Global warming has reportedly slowed to a standstill throughout the years, but with record-breaking heat waves occurring this summer, what do the reports actually mean?
According to BBC News, climate skeptics say the world is not warming as rapidly as once forecast, and each of the last few decades has been warmer than the last.
However, if you take a look at warming trend patterns starting at 1998, there hasn't been much global warming. Scientists are reportedly unsure why the rate of warming has stumbled.
"There are plenty of possible explanations but none of them adds up to a definitive smoking gun," according to BBC News.
Between 1998-2012, Professor Piers Forster of Leeds University believes manmade greenhouse gases were influenced global warming of 0.48 of a Watt per square meter. According to BBC News, Forster also believes two other natural influences might have led to some cooling: "a relatively quiet Sun might have been responsible for a reduction of 0.16 of a Watt/sq m and volcanic eruptions another 0.06 Watt/sq m."
However, according to Telegraph UK, there have also been links to oceans inhibiting researchers to notice warming and cooling levels, better yet, the stalling of temperature changings.
"In three new reports, the Met Office claims that global warming has been disguised in recent years by the oceans, which have absorbed greater amounts of heat and prevented us from noticing the difference at surface level," the Telegraph reports.
This process is a natural cycle of the ocean and may delay warming trends for potentially 5 to 10 years.
Dr. Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring at the Met Office, told the Telegraph: "Global surface temperatures remain high. Twelve of the 14 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000, the lower troposphere - the atmosphere above the surface - is continuing to warm in recent years, and combined with the cooling in the stratosphere this is a distinctive fingerprint of the effects of greenhouse gases on the climate system."
Scientists have been aware that climate change does not happen at a fixed rate and include periods where temperatures are "stable" for 10 to 20 years.
Researchers admitted they have failed to stress this point to the public when speaking about global warming trends.
Professor Rowan Sutton, Director of Climate Research at the University of Reading, said: "Within the field we have taken for granted that there will be variations in the rate of warming, it is totally accepted and is no surprise ...[it] would correct to say that wasn't the message that we communicated more widely and that probably is a failing."
