Climate

Global climate is changing, with an expected increase in average global temperature of at least 2°F and as much as 11°F over the next century. Geoscientists know from studying Earth's geological history that climate has changed abruptly in the past and will change in the future. There is scientific consensus that human activities are largely causing the current changes, although debate remains as to how to address them.

How does geoscience inform decisions about climate?

Geoscientists interpret the geologic record to understand how Earth’s climate has changed in the past. They use models to predict how climate may change in the future and to assess how those changes may impact people.

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  A satellite image of the Earth. Credit: NASA

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  Illustration of the Frio Pilot carbon sequestration test; carbon dioxide compressed to a liquid will be pumped into a brine-saturated aquifer in the Frio Formation, a mile beneath the surface. Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Introductory resources

• Climate Change Evidence & Causes: The Basics of Climate Change, The National Academy of Sciences and U.K. Royal Society

This in-depth web resource summarizes the basic science behind climate change and accompanies a report by experts at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and U.K. Royal Society. The report presents evidence and explanation of climate change for the general public, structured around twenty common questions.

Frequent questions

• What are greenhouse gases and how much are emitted by the United States?
• What are the energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by source and sector for the United States?
• How much carbon dioxide is produced when different fuels are burned?
• What is the evidence that proves the climate is changing?

See also

• Climate Basics, American Geosciences Institute
• Drought
• Floods
• Water Availability
• Water Quality
• Weather Hazards

External links

find literature about Climate