Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.
As the Sun warms the equator more than the poles, climate varies with latitude. This image shows how sea surface temperatures change at different latitudes. Red colors indicate warmer ocean water, blues and purples indicate cooler ocean water.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NOAA. Public domain.

Related links:

Scientists Search for the Cause of Ancient Global Warming

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, and No One Is Around to Hear It, Does Climate Change? (NSF News Release)

NSF News: Can Dying Trees Change Weather and Climate?

NSF News: Scientists Study Hurricanes of the Future

Happenings at the Copenhagen Climate Summit

Climate Crossword Puzzle

Climate Changes With Latitude

Effects of Climate Change Today

Fossil Record Suggests Insect Assaults Foliage May Increase with Warming Globe

What Is Climate?

How do you know to pack your bathing suit and sunhat for a trip to a tropical island or pack warm sweaters and coats for a trip to Alaska?
If you know a little about regional climates, then you know what to pack!

Regional climate is the typical weather of a place. It is all the types of weather that happen during different seasons. The climate is different in different places on Earth.

But what if you were taking a vacation to another planet like Mars or Venus? To know what to pack you would want to figure out what the global climate of Earth and the vacation planet are like. Global climate is a description of the climate of a planet as a whole including all the regional differences. Overall, global climate depends on the amount of energy received by the Sun and the amount of energy that is trapped in the system. Scientists who study Earth's climate and climate change study the factors that affect the climate of our whole planet.

While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate takes many years, even millions of years, to change. Many different things can cause climates to change. Today, climates are changing and our planet's temperature is rising. Our Earth is warming more quickly than it has in the past.

Last modified August 23, 2010 by Becca Hatheway.

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The Summer 2010 issue of The Earth Scientist, available in our online store, includes articles on rivers and snow, classroom planetariums, satellites and oceanography, hands-on astronomy, and global warming.

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