Within our changing climate, people have experienced extreme phenomena such as deep freezes and more frequent heat waves, along with increased stress on crops. Events that hit close to home can serve as a powerful reminder of the broader environmental patterns that are closely tracked by researchers.
Climate change involves long-term shifts in weather and temperature (which span at least 30 years) resulting from natural and man-made factors. As evidence of the former, scientists point to solar cycle variations, while rising global greenhouse gas emissions have their origins in human behavior. Key metrics of these transformations are observed among ice sheets, oceans and land surfaces, which provide crucial data and help predict future shifts. Learn more about four trends that already point to the significant impacts of climate change:
