Pacific Islands sinking into the ocean

According to an associated press scare piece, Earth's surface temperature rose 1.2 degrees f in the 22 years from 1976 to 1999 more than 1.5 degrees for some recent periods of less than 25 years. Before that the graph rose very little from 1918 to 1976. This is almost double the NASA satellite data of a 0.77 degrees f temperiture rise from 1981 to 1998. Does anyone know why NASA data is lacking for the past 6 years where the graph shows little increase?
The rise before 1918 (perhaps before 1945) is subject to reasonable doubt as temperature measuring methods have changed significantly over the centuries and some of the adjustments are suspect.
The carbon dioxide rise is also suspect. We are expected to believe that a billion old text books that said 400 parts per million = 0.04% were all high. The revised history is 280 parts per million about 1804 to 379 parts per million in 2004.
It is possible that the early error was repeated as the human breath is more than 1000 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Were the scientists of two centuries ago that sloppy?
The ocean does not seem to be swallowing the beaches in North East Florida (where I live) as it is in some Pacific Islands and in the Louisiana coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The later is thought to be the ground subsiding due to the removal of lots of oil and ground water. The last I heard the GPS = global positioning service did not confirm a rise in ocean level relative to the center of the Earth.
The Kyoto accord/protocol would be very destuctive to the prosperity of the USA, so we should find alternate ways to deal with green house warming if it is a significant problem. Please comment, refute and/or embellish. Neil