In recent years a number of statistical tests have been proposed for t
esting the hypothesis that global warming is occurring. The standard a
pproach is to examine one or two of the more prominent global temperat
ure datasets by letting Y(t) = a + bt + E(t) where Y(t) represents the
temperature at time t, and E(t) represents error from the trend line,
and to test the hypothesis that b = 0. Several authors have applied t
hese tests for trend to determine whether or not a significant long-te
rm or deterministic trend exists, and have generally concluded that th
ere is a significant deterministic trend in the data. However, we show
that certain autoregressive-moving average (ARMA) models may also be
very reasonable models for these data due to the random trends present
in their realizations. In this paper, we provide simulation evidence
to show that the tests for trend detect a deterministic trend in a rel
atively high percentage of realizations from a wide range of ARMA mode
ls, including those obtained for the temperature series, for which it
is improper to forecast a trend to continue over more than a very shor
t time period. Thus, we demonstrate that trend tests based on models s
uch as Y(t) = a + bt + E(t) for the purpose of prediction or inference
concerning future behavior should be used with caution. Of course, th
e projections that the warming trend will extend into the future are l
argely based on such factors as the buildup of atmospheric greenhouse
gases. We have shown here, however, that based solely on the available
temperature anomaly series, it is difficult to conclude that the tren
d will continue over any extended length of time.