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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">computer models</a>, make different assumptions about how many <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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>Roaming across Arctic <a href="/earth/polar/sea_ice.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">sea ice</a>, <a href="/earth/polar/polar_bears_jan07.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">polar bears</a> peer through cracks in the ice to look for ringed seals, their favorite food, in the water below. Almost all of a polar bear's food comes from the sea. The <a href="/earth/polar/sea_ice.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">floating sea ice</a> is a perfect vantage point for the bears as they hunt for food. Unfortunately, the amount of sea ice floating in the <a href="/earth/polar/polar_north.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Arctic region</a> is shrinking each year, and getting farther apart.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Ansgar Walk. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.</em></small></p><a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_permafrost1.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Arctic</a> and <a href="/earth/polar/polar_south.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Antarctic</a>. It is also common at high altitudes - like mountainous areas wherever the <a href="/earth/climate/cli_define.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">global warming</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the USGS</em></small></p>How did life evolve on <a href="/earth/earth.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Earth</a> during the <a href="/earth/past/Archean.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Archean</a>, when the <a href="/sun/sun.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">Sun</a> was about 25% weaker than today? The Earth should have been <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">glaciated</a>, if <a href="/earth/climate/earth_greenhouse.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">isotopic</a> signatures of Earth's early atmosphere in <a href="/earth/geology/rocks_intro.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">rocks</a> from Northern Australia have ruled out high levels of <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/nitrogen_molecular.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">nitrogen</a> as a possible way to increase warming from <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">atmospheric</a> <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">carbon dioxide</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Manchester University</em></small></p>On November 7, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) made landfall, with imated wind speeds of ~315 km/hr - the strongest <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/intensity.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">tropical cyclone</a> to make landfall in recorded history. As Haiyan moved across the Philippines before reaching Vietnam and China, its <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/wind.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">winds</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/surge.html&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.html">storm surge</a> left devastation in its wake, leading to massive loss of life, destruction of homes, and hundreds of thousands of displaced inhabitants. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/09/world/iyw-how-to-help-typhoon-haiyan/index.html">How to Help</a><p><small><em>Image courtesy of COMS-1, SSEC, University of Wisconsin-Madison</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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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&dev=1/k=/teacher_resources/teach_pluggedCO2.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>

Explore Climate and Global Change

What Is Climate?

The climate where you live is called regional climate. It is the average weather in a place ...Read more

What Controls the Climate System?

Some of the factors that have an affect on climate, like volcanic eruptions and changes in ...Read more

Climates of the Past (Paleoclimates)

Earth's climate has been changing for billions of years. It warmed and cooled many times long ...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

Over 100 years ago, people worldwide began burning more coal and oil for homes, factories, ...Read more

Climate Change in Polar Regions

The effects of climate change are not the same in all parts of the world. While Earth’s average ...Read more

El Nino and Other Climate Events

Sometimes there is a change in the way air moves through parts of the atmosphere. And there ...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

Earth’s climate is warming and we humans are mostly to blame.  By releasing greenhouse gases ...Read more

More about Climate and Global Change

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

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

Do you know the difference between weather and climate?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Salinity
xSalinity : The percent of salt in saltwater

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Composition of Rock Sediment Affected the Strength of Earthquakes in Sumatra

Earthquakes occur regularly in Sumatra, Indonesia because it is located near the boundary of two of Earth's tectonic plates. These earthquakes occur at 'subduction zones,' which are areas where one tectonic...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA