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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">computer models</a>, make different assumptions about how many <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Arctic</a> and <a href="/earth/polar/polar_south.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Antarctic</a>. It is also common at high altitudes - like mountainous areas wherever the <a href="/earth/climate/cli_define.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">global warming</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the USGS</em></small></p><a href="/earth/climate/cli_define.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Regional climate</a> is the average weather pattern in a place over more than thirty years, including the variations in <a href="/earth/climate/cli_seasons.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">seasons</a>. The climate of a region depends on many factors including sunlight, altitude, topography, and proximity to oceans. Since the equatorial regions receive more sunlight than the poles, climate varies with <a href="/earth/climate/cli_latitude.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">latitude</a>. This image shows how sea surface temperatures change at different latitudes.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NOAA. Public domain.</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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">nitrogen oxides</a>, <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/vocs.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">VOCs</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_monoxide.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">carbon monoxide</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">carbon dioxide</a>, <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/sulfur_oxides.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">sulfur dioxide</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/particulates.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">particulates</a>. Some of these gases are <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&edu=high&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=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">greenhouse effect</a>.<p><small><em>Image copyright UCAR</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&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">winds</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/surge.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.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 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=high&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=high&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?

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 more

More about Climate and Global Change

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Epicenter
xEpicenter : The epicenter is the point on the earth's surface vertically above the hypocenter (or focus), point in the crust where a seismic rupture begins.

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Research Highlights

Geologists Uncover Major Ancient Human Ancestor in South Africa

Researchers working in South Africa have discovered two remarkably well-preserved fossil skeletons of an ancient human ancestor dating to almost two million years ago. The discovery is described in two...Read more


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