On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual State of the Climate for 2014. After observing the important climate elements, it has been found that the planet continues to warm. In fact, 2014 has set many new records.

As many as four data sets have shown that last year was the warmest on record. Sea surface temperatures had also hit records. Amongst all, the northern Pacific Ocean was having the highest sea surface temperature, which might have happened in part due to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Last year was the fourth warmest year on record for the Arctic since the time record-keeping has started in the early 20th century. The Antarctic has witnessed strong seasonal and regional variability. Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Australia had faced near record warmth. Africa had above average temperature.

Only North America was having below average annual temperature. “If we were to freeze greenhouse gases at their current levels, the seas would actually continue to warm for centuries to millennia”, said Greg Johnson, oceanographer at the NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Thomas Karl, director of the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, said the report has been based on the data from around the globe. Discussions and viewpoints have been taken of hundreds of scientists and after that they were able to have a picture of what had happened in 2014.