- CLIMATE AND GLOBAL CHANGE
- What Is Climate?
- What Controls Climate?
- Paleoclimates
- Our Changing Planet
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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.
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When Nature Strikes - Earthquakes
When Nature Strikes - Volcanoes
When Nature Strikes: Tsunami Classroom Activity
When Nature Strikes: Wildfires - Why are they a challenge to stop?
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Explore Climate and Global Change
What Is Climate?
Climate in your place on the globe is called regional climate. It is the average weather pattern ...Read more
What Controls the Climate System?
A factor that has an affect on climate is called a “forcing.” Some forcings, like volcanic ...Read more
Climates of the Past (Paleoclimates)
Climate change has affected the Earth throughout its 4.6 billion year history. The Earth has ...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
The world's surface air temperature increased an average of 0.6° Celsius (1.1°F) during the ...Read more
Climate Change in Polar Regions
The effects of climate change are not felt with the same intensity in all parts of the world. ...Read more
El Nino and Other Climate Events
Sometimes there is a disruption in Earth’s climate system that might last a few weeks or a ...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 quickly and human activities are mostly to blame. By releasing ...Read moreMore about Climate and Global Change
- Modeling Future Climate
- Climate in the News
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- Blog: Happenings at the Copenhagen Climate Summit
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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?Did you know that the Arctic is warming?
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Research Highlights
Even in the Desert, Plants Feel the Heat of Global Warming
Global warming is a hot topic, and it's causing concern for scientists studying winter annuals in the Sonoran Desert. While desert winters have become warmer and drier over the years, climate changes have...Read more
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Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists
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.
