1st LD: 2017 top 3 warmest year: U.S. agencies

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Last year was among the three warmest years since modern record-keeping began in 1880, according to reports published Thursday by two U.S. government agencies.

Earth's global surface temperatures in 2017 ranked as the second warmest on record, says an analysis by the U.S. space agency NASA.

In a separate, independent analysis, scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that 2017 was the third-warmest year in their record. Enditem