Global Warming Facts, Causes and Effects of Climate Change Jump to Section Q: What is global warming? A: Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. The result? Now climate scientists have concluded that we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 if we are to avoid a future in which everyday life around the world is marked by its worst, most devastating effects: the extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and other disasters that we refer to collectively as climate change. Q: What causes global warming? A: Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Curbing dangerous climate change requires very deep cuts in emissions, as well as the use of alternatives to fossil fuels worldwide. Q: How is global warming linked to extreme weather? A: We’ve started. A: No!
The United States Just Experienced The Warmest 12 Months On Record The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its latest State of the Climate data, and the results are pretty compelling and dramatic. According to the data gathered, the last twelve months have been the hottest period for the United States since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. Last summer was the second hottest on record, last winter was the fourth warmest, and last March was the hottest. The average temperature for the lower-48 states was 55.7 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.8 degrees above the average for last century. Over the past year, 22 states saw record-breaking warm temperatures, and 19 more saw some of their top-10 warmest temperatures. January through April 2012 have run about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit above average, a new record, and 17 more states had temperatures that made it into their top 10 records. NOAA also records precipitation trends, noting it was drier than usual in most places, but nothing dramatic or record-breaking.
The scientific consensus on global warming « Later On From the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the preeminent scientific organization in the US. Note that this article is not based on a mere count of articles, but rather looks at statements from various scientific organizations. Science 3 December 2004: Vol. 306. no. 5702, p. 1686 DOI: 10.1126/science.1103618BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER: The Scientific Consensus on Climate ChangeNaomi Oreskes*Policy-makers and the media, particularly in the United States, frequently assert that climate science is highly uncertain. Drought Reaches Record 56% of US | Extreme Weather The United States is parched, with more than half of the land area in the lower 48 states experiencing moderate to extreme drought, according to a report released today (July 5). Just under 56 percent of the contiguous United States is in drought conditions, the most extensive area in the 12-year history of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The previous drought records occurred on Aug. 26, 2003, when 54.79 percent of the lower 48 were in drought and on Sept 10, 2002, when drought extended across 54.63 percent of this area. When including the entire nation, the monitor found 46.84 percent of the land area meets criteria for various stages of drought, up from 42.8 percent last week. "The recent heat and dryness is catching up with us on a national scale," Michael Hayes, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said in a statement. "It's early in the season, though. The U.S.
Climate Change, Deforestation, Biomes and Ocean Currents, Plankton, Endangered Species - Earth Web Site Click for more detail Thermohaline Change Evidence is growing that the thermohaline current may be slowed or stopped by cold fresh water inputs to the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. This could occur if global warming is sufficient to cause large scale melting of arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet. Such a change in the current may be gradual (over centuries) or very rapid (over a few years). Either would cause planet wide changes in climate. "Diatoms (a kind of phytoplankton) are estimated to "scrub" roughly as much CO2 from the atmosphere each year as all the world's rainforests. "Net primary productivity is the mass of plant material produced each year on land and in the oceans by photosynthesis using energy from sunlight. Biodiversity is the variety of life found at all levels of biological organization, ranging from individuals and populations to species, communities and ecosystems. Click for more detail What are they? Ecosystem and Biodiversity Text Sources: 1.
Climate Change, Extreme Weather Environmental Issues > Health Main Page > All Health Documents (January - December 2012) 2188 RecordHeat Days FEMA News Photo 1094 Days of Record Rainfall FEMA/Aaron Skolnik 245 Days of Record Snowfall Brace yourself for more weird and wild weather, because 2012 may well outdo 2011 when it comes to shattering extreme weather records. This endless cycle of wildfires, droughts, rainstorms and floods leaves a trail of death, injury and destruction that hurts communities, damages our health and undermines our economy. 2011's severe weather events struck communities all over the US, breaking 3,251 monthly weather records. We can take two steps right now to protect our families and future generations: Methods: The data used to develop the online tool comes from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NOAA-NCDC) for 2012 US weather data. NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs Charity Navigator awards NRDC its 4-star top rating. Worth magazine named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities.
Earth GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE from JPL Your planet is changing. We're on it. Our planet is changing. Through the gradual build-up of more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth is warming. Click here to see how your planet is changing. EARTH IMAGES from the JPL Photojournal NASA Spacecraft Sees Stark Effects of California Drought on Agriculture Stark effects of a California drought on agriculture can be seen clearly in these two February images acquired by NASA's Landsat 8 in 2014 (left) and NASA's Terra spacecraft in 2003 (right). Read more | | More Earth images Explore Earth satellites in 3D "Eyes on the Earth" is a 3-D visualization experience that lets users "fly along" with NASA's fleet of Earth science missions and observe climate data from a global perspective in an immersive, real-time environment. View interactive Earth Observing Missions Active Cavity Irradiance Monitor Satellite Monitors total sun energy that reaches Earth. › Instrument home page
Extreme weather will strike as climate change takes hold, IPCC warns | Environment Heavier rainfall, fiercer storms and intensifying droughts are likely to strike the world in the coming decades as climate change takes effect, the world's leading climate scientists said on Friday. Rising sea levels will increase the vulnerability of coastal areas, and the increase in "extreme weather events" will wipe billions off national economies and destroy lives, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the body of the world's leading climate scientists convened by the United Nations. Scientists have warned of these effects for years, but yesterday's report – the "special report on extreme weather" compiled over two years by 220 scientists – is the first comprehensive examination of scientific knowledge on the subject, in an attempt to produce a definitive judgment. Chris Field, co-chair of the IPCC working group that produced the report, said the message was clear – extreme weather events were more likely.
U.S. Drought Damage: Homes See Cracking Due To Parched Soil ST. LOUIS (AP) — Carol DeVaughan assumed her suburban St. Louis home was simply settling when cracks appeared in the walls. When she noticed huge gaps between her fireplace and ceiling, and that her family room was starting to tilt, she knew she had bigger problems. Like thousands of other Americans getting stuck with huge repair bills, DeVaughan learned that the intense drought baking much of the country's lawns, fields and forests this summer has also been sucking the moisture from underground, causing shifting that can lead to cracked basements and foundations, as well as damage aboveground. Repairs often cost tens of thousands of dollars and can even top $100,000, and they are rarely covered by insurance, as shocked homeowners have been discovering. DeVaughan, a retired Presbyterian minister, said she expects it will cost more than $25,000 to fix the split-level home in Manchester, Mo., where she's lived for 27 years. "We called it the funhouse," Knoche said. Also on HuffPost: