2014 Was World's Hottest Year On Record Even Without El Niño

It's official: 2014 was the hottest year recorded since 1880.

Scientists at National Aeronautics and Space Administration confirmed on Friday that the warmest temperatures were recorded last year.

In a statement, NASA also revealed that nine of the 10 warmest years were those that came after 2000; the exception being 1998, the year the planet felt the intense effects of El Niño.

It is important to note that 2014 was not affected by El Niño, IFL Science pointed out.

"This trend continues a long-term warming of the planet," NASA said, citing an analysis of surface temperature measurements at the agency's Goddard Institute of Space Science (G.I.S.S.) in New York.

John Grunsfeld, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, explained the long-term warming trend calls for further studies on our planet. "The observed long-term warming trend and the ranking of 2014 as the warmest year on record reinforces the importance for NASA to study Earth as a complete system, and particularly to understand the role and impacts of human activity," Grunsfeld said.

In an independent analysis of raw data, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N.O.A.A.) scientists agreed that 2014 was indeed the warmest year ever recorded in history.

NASA noted that 2014 saw the 38th consecutive year with above average surface temperatures, which fell on the average of 0.8° C or 1.4° F - warmer than 1880.

"This doesn't mean that 1880 was a particularly hot year; it's just where the instrumental record begins. It might not seem like a significant increase, but it can have an incredible impact on the environment," NASA explained.

"This increase has been largely attributed to carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere due to human activity," it added.

Scientists have been attributing the increasing trend in global temperatures to human activities that are largely driven by the increase in carbon dioxide and other human emissions into the planet's atmosphere.

The majority of that warming has occurred in the past three decades.