Observing climate by ... actually observing.

• Position: Your Life

The report "State of the Climate," which is based exclusively on observations rather than climate models, has been published by the United Kingdom's Global Warming Policy Foundation, London.

Compiled by Ole Humlum, professor of physical geography at the University Centre, Svalbard, Norway, this climate survey is in sharp contrast to the habitual alarmism of other reports that mainly are based on computer modeling and climate predictions.

Among the key findings:

* While 2016 was one of the warmest years on record, global temperatures dropped back at the end of the year to levels prior to the strong 2015-16 El Nino. This fact suggests that much of the global 2015-16 temperature peak was caused by a one of the strongest ever El Ninos.

* Since 2003, the global temperature estimate based on surface station measurements consistently has drifted away from the satellite-based estimate in a warm direction, and now is about 0.1 [degrees]C higher.

* Much of the heat given off during the 2015-16 El Nino appears to have been transported to the polar regions, especially the Arctic, causing severe weather phenomena and unseasonably high air temperatures.

* Data from worldwide tide gauges suggest an average...