Geneva - The year so far has been marked by weather extremes across the planet and low levels of ice in the Arctic Sea, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.

The overall ice volume in the sea during the melt season was the lowest since satellite measurements began in 1979. At the opposite pole, the Antarctic ozone hole was larger than in 2007.

Experts have said carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions contributed to the global rise in temperature. The WMO said the "trend for warming is still very much there."

Global temperature levels in 2008 were slightly cooler than the previous year, but warmer than the average during 1961-1990, still making it the 10th warmest year on record.

Full details for this year were expected only in March.

In 2008, Europe experienced above average temperatures, including a very mild winter, though Eurasia had some of its coldest weather, with hundreds of people dying in Afghanistan and China.

Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in May, killing at least 78,000 people, was the worst of 2008 and the most devastating in Asia since 1991.

Other extremes included heavy monsoons in southern Asia, the worst ever flooding in Sub-Saharan Africa, and heavy rains in southern Europe which caused flash floods, most notably in France.

Southern Brazil also suffered its hardest floods on record, however, the most southern parts of Latin America experienced intense droughts, as did sections of Canada.

North America saw extreme snowfalls as well as a devastating hurricane season, with six consecutive tropical cyclones, a record, making landfall in the US, and Cuba and Haiti were hit hard by the storms. (dpa)