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Climate Change Circle of Consequences
"Greenhouse effect" and "global warming" are becoming household phrases but how, exactly, are they linked? Explore the interconnections and consequences of climate change.
Climate Change
Earth’s climate is naturally dynamic, but human activity is affecting it. Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve gotten most of our energy from fossil fuels. Burning them releases gases, primarily carbon dioxide, that trap heat in the atmosphere. In the past 100 years, concentrations of this greenhouse gas have grown faster and higher than at any time in the past 850,000 years (and probably much longer), causing global average temperatures to rise. The evidence comes from abundant data collected by many sources over time. We can see it around us in the form of rising sea levels, melting polar ice caps and glaciers, changing ocean chemistry, and more severe heat waves, droughts, and storms.
Support for the development of Science Topics was generously provided by Sidney and Helaine Lerner, GRACE Communications Foundation.
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OLogyWhat's the Big Idea About Climate Change?
Climate has changed throughout Earth's long history. But this time is different. Worldwide temperatures are rising higher and faster than anytime we know of in the past. And this time, human activities are causing it.
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ArticleRapid Change in a Warming World
Climate change isn’t always slow, small, and imperceptible in a human lifetime. One of the most important lessons from ice core analysis is that Earth’s climate in some places can also change rapidly and dramatically, such as a 15-degree temperature change in a decade. This, you’d notice.
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Seminars on ScienceConsequences of Climate Change
Potential consequences of climate change include loss of biodiversity, destruction of terrestrial ecosystems, spread of human infectious and respiratory diseases, changes in ocean chemistry that disrupt the marine food chain and destroy tropical coral reefs, extreme and unusual weather events, drought due to warming and changing weather patterns, and rising sea level.
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NASANASA Earth Observatory: Natural Hazards—Hurricane Sandy
High-resolution pictures of the hurricane taken by different NASA satellites, with explanations of the images and the ways the data was captured.
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Science BulletinsWeather and Climate Events—Tropical Cyclone Sandy
Watch Tropical Cyclone Sandy evolve in NOAA satellite data.
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ArticleIntense Storms Have Become More Common
Rainstorms help sustain life on Earth by bringing much needed water. But there's a big difference between a restorative shower and an intense downpour that causes floods and landslides. As our planet continues to warm, intense and destructive storms are likely to become more and more frequent over many land regions. In fact, they already have.
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ActivityClimate Change: The Multiplier Effect
Learn how simple choices multiplied by everyone in your community can make a big difference.
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Seminars on ScienceJim Hansen Video Interview
An interview with eminent climatologist James Hansen about the politicization of climate science, the challenge of educating the public, and his research priorities.
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Seminars on ScienceAtmospheric Circulation and Global Climate Change
We think of climate as a system. The parts of this system are the atmosphere, the ocean, the biosphere, the cryosphere, and the solid Earth. All these parts interact both chemically and physically to produce a climate that is both complex and dynamic but also characterized by long periods of stability.
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Seminars on ScienceDoes a Warmer World Make Hurricanes Stronger?
Research suggests global warming isn't increasing the number of hurricanes, but is likely to increase their average strength. This video features Chris Landsea, Science and Operations Officer at NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
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Science BulletinsPETM: Unearthing Ancient Climate Change
Hot times in Earth's past may presage the future impact of global warming.
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NOAANOAA StormCentral 2012
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tropical storm/hurricane site. Includes resources and information about forecasting and preparedness.
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CNN“Climate scientist: Sandy just a taste of things to come”
A CNN International interview with Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer.