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.

Roaming across Arctic <a href="/earth/polar/sea_ice.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">sea ice</a>, <a href="/earth/polar/polar_bears_jan07.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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>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/triton_atmosphere.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>Many forms of air pollution are human-made. Industrial plants, power plants and vehicles with internal combustion engines produce <a href="/earth/climate/nitrogen_airpollution.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">nitrogen oxides</a>, <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/vocs.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">VOCs</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_monoxide.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">carbon monoxide</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">carbon dioxide</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/sulfur_oxides.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">sulfur dioxide</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/particulates.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">particulates</a>. Some of these gases are <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">greenhouse gases</a>, meaning that they retain heat in the Earth's atmosphere, due to the Earth's <a href="/earth/climate/earth_greenhouse.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">greenhouse effect</a>.<p><small><em>Image copyright UCAR</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/triton_atmosphere.html">crop withering</a>. <a href="/teacher_resources/online_courses/health/events_health.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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/triton_atmosphere.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>Scientists at the University of Michigan have found that <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_permafrost1.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">permafrost</a> in the <a href="/earth/polar/polar_north.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Arctic</a> is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight releases carbon gases trapped in the permafrost, including <a href="/earth/climate/earth_greenhouse.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">climate-warming</a> <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">carbon dioxide</a>, to the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">atmosphere</a> much faster than previously thought.<p><small><em>George Kling, The University of Michigan</em></small></p><b><i>Looking for online resources about climate and climate change for your classroom?</i></b> Windows to the Universe is a free interlinked learning ecosystem to a wealth of resources on our site and elsewhere that support you on these topics, including <a href="/teacher_resources/climate_change_course.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">course readings</a>, <a href="/php/teacher_resources/activity.php#6">classroom activities and presentations</a>, and online interactives. Our <a href="/teacher_resources/climate.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Climate Change Education Resources page</a> provides links to content you can use right away in the classroom!<p><small><em> Ute Kaden/PolarTREC</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 a significant portion of sea level rise is due to the expansion of sea water due to increasing temperature?

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Scree slope
xScree slope : An accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags or mountain cliffs

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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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