[originaltext] By the narrowest of margins, last month was the hottest Septe

By the narrowest of margins, last month was the hottest September in recorded history, NASA data has revealed, meaning that 11 of the last 12 months have seen record-breaking heat and all but assuring that 2016 will go down in the books as the warmest year since at least 1880.
    According to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists with the US space agency’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies(GISS)in New York,(3)September 2016 edged out September 2014 by just 0.004 degrees Celsius, placing the two months in a statistical tie. However, the past four week period was 0. 91 degrees Celsius warmer than the mean from 1951-1980.
    Since October 2015, 11 of the past 12 months have shattered monthly high-temperature records, with the lone exception being June 2016, according to GISS. While previous reports had claimed that June 2016 was the warmest such month in the 136-year history of modern record keeping, it was actually just the third hottest behind 2015 and 1998, based on updated climate data.
    "Monthly rankings are sensitive to updates in the record, and our latest update to mid-winter readings from the South Pole has changed the ranking for June," GISS director Gavin Schmidt explained in a statement.(4)" We continue to stress that while monthly rankings are newsworthy, they are not nearly as important as long-term trends. "
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3. How many degrees Celsius is September 2016 higher than September 2014?
4. What does Gavin Schmidt, GISS director, say about monthly rankings?