These partners include the University of Maryland, Penn State, Georgia Tech, the National Climate Data Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CNN: Global warming may harm human health

The National Climate Data Center announced this week that 2012 was the hottest year on record, crushing the previous hottest year, 1998, by a full degree.

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In its report issued Thursday, the climate data center said the average U.S. temperature between March and May was 57.1 degrees, 5.2 degrees above the long-term average from 1901 to 2000.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Behind the record temperatures was a dome of high pressure over the center of the country, which combined with a powerful drought to create the scorching temperatures, said Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.

WSJ: July Marked Hottest Month on U.S. Record