Climate and Global Change

Warm near the equator and cold at the poles, our planet is able to support a variety of living things because of its diverse regional climates. The average of all these regions makes up Earth's global climate. Climate has cooled and warmed throughout Earth history for various reasons. Rapid warming like we see today is unusual in the history of our planet. The scientific consensus is that climate is warming as a result of the addition of heat-trapping greenhouse gases which are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere as a result of human activities.

Earth's global average surface <a href="/earth/climate/ipcc_feb2007.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">warming</a> relative to the 1980-1999 average over the past 100 years is shown in the black line. Predictions of the amount of warming in the future are shown by the red, green, and purple lines. These predictions, developed with <a href="/earth/climate/cli_models.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">computer models</a>, make different assumptions about how many <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">greenhouse gases</a> we release into the atmosphere in the future.<p><small><em> A Windows to the Universe image based on a graph from the IPCC 4th Assessment Report</em></small></p><a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_permafrost1.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Permafrost</a> is ground that is below the freezing point of water (0C or 32F) for two or more years. Permafrost is found at high latitudes like the <a href="/earth/polar/polar_north.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Arctic</a> and <a href="/earth/polar/polar_south.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Antarctic</a>. It is also common at high altitudes - like mountainous areas wherever the <a href="/earth/climate/cli_define.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">climate</a> is cold. Permafrost has been thawing relatively quickly in recent years. Scientists have found that the rate of permafrost thaw has increased because of <a href="/earth/climate/cli_effects.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">global warming</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the USGS</em></small></p>Coral animals build reefs in warm, tropical seawater. However, <a href="/earth/changing_planet/ocean_temperatures_intro.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">seawater can be too warm</a> for their liking. If waters get too warm, coral animals lose the algae that live within their little bodies, a process called coral bleaching. Without the algae, corals have less nutrition. Unless cooler temperatures return, allowing algae to return, the coral dies.<p><small><em>Credit: UNC</em></small></p><b><i>Looking for online resources to use in support of climate change education?</i></b> Our <a href="/teacher_resources/climate.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Climate Change Educator Resources page</a> provides links to online content, classroom activities, interactives, and videos as well as resources provided by other leading organizations and agencies on this topic. Our <a href="/teacher_resources/climate_change_course.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Climate Change Course Content page</a> provides links to online content for a range of climate change associated topics.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Mila Zinkova, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license</em></small></p>How did life evolve on <a href="/earth/earth.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Earth</a> during the <a href="/earth/past/Archean.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Archean</a>, when the <a href="/sun/sun.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Sun</a> was about 25% weaker than today? The Earth should have been <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">glaciated</a>, if <a href="/earth/climate/earth_greenhouse.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">greenhouse</a> gas concentration was the same as today. <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=10798">Researchers</a> studying the <a href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/isotope.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">isotopic</a> signatures of Earth's early atmosphere in <a href="/earth/geology/rocks_intro.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">rocks</a> from Northern Australia have ruled out high levels of <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/nitrogen_molecular.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">nitrogen</a> as a possible way to increase warming from <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">atmospheric</a> <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">carbon dioxide</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Manchester University</em></small></p>As temperatures rise and soil moisture decreases, plants are stressed, which can lead to <a href="/earth/climate/crops_withering.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">crop withering</a>. <a href="/teacher_resources/online_courses/health/events_health.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Droughts</a> accompanied by increased temperatures can lead to famine, social and political disruptions. Scientists are helping with early identification of drought that might trigger food shortages. Watch the NBC Learn video - <a href="/earth/changing_planet/withering_crops_intro.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/h/neptune/neptune_il.html">Changing Planet: Withering Crops</a> to find out more.<p><small><em>Image taken by Tomas Castelazo, Creative Commons <a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en&quot;>Attribution 3.0 Unported</a> license.</em></small></p>

Explore Climate and Global Change

What Is Climate?

How do you know to pack your bathing suit and sunhat for a trip to a tropical island or pack ...Read more

What Controls the Climate System?

The Sun Climate can change if there is a change in the amount of solar energy that gets to ...Read more

Climates of the Past (Paleoclimates)

The climate of Earth has been changing for billions of years! It warmed and cooled many times ...Read more

Our Changing Planet

Our planet is changing rapidly. Check out videos and lesson plans for key climate change indicators ...Read more

Effects of Climate Change Today

Have you ever taken your temperature to see if you are getting sick? Scientists have been taking ...Read more

Climate Change in Polar Regions

Some parts of the world are warming faster than others. The Arctic is warming twice as fast ...Read more

El Nino and Other Climate Events

Sometimes the way the air moves around in the atmosphere changes.The way water moves through ...Read more

The Role of Clouds in Climate

Clouds are an important part of Earth's weather and climate. Scientists use computer models ...Read more

Energy Choices and Climate Change

The choices we make about the sources of the energy we use and the amount of energy we use affect ...Read more

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The IPCC is a group of hundreds of experts from more than 100 countries ...Read more

Tackling the Global Warming Challenge

By sending greenhouse gases into the air, we have made Earth’s greenhouse effect stronger.  ...Read more

More about Climate and Global Change

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Did you know?

Did you know that greenhouse gases are increasing rapidly in the Earth's atmosphere?

Did you know that a significant portion of sea level rise is due to the expansion of sea water due to increasing temperature?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Moho
xMoho : The boundary between the crust and the mantle in the earth. This is a depth where seismic waves change velocity and there is also a change in chemical composition. Also termed the Mohorovicic' discontinuity after the Croatian seismologist Andrija Moh

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Research Highlights

Scientists Study "Glaciovolcanoes," Mountains of Fire and Ice

In the spring of 2010, the eruption of a volcano called Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland cancelled many flights in Europe. Eyjafjallajökull is a glaciovolcano, which means it's a volcano that is covered by...Read more


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