What do changes in the environment result in

The official website for NASA's fleet of Earth science missions that study rainfall and other types precipitation around the globe. How much do you know about Earth's water cycle and the crucial role it plays in our climate? Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere.

Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U. By the end of this century, what have been once-inyear extreme heat days one-day events are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation. Droughts in the Southwest and Central Plains of the United States in the second half of the 21st century could be drier and longer than anything humans have seen in those regions in the last 1, years, according to a NASA study published in Science Advances on February 12, The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, have all increased since the early s.

The relative contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm. This video explains the findings of this study. Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in It is projected to rise another 1 to 8 feet by This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions. Ocean waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century.

An indicator of changes in the Arctic sea ice minimum over time. Arctic sea ice extent both affects and is affected by global climate change. An interactive exploration of how global warming is affecting sea ice, glaciers and continental ice sheets worldwide. Below are some of the impacts that are currently visible throughout the U. Global Change Research Program :. Heat waves, heavy downpours and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast.

Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning. Changes in the timing of streamflow reduce water supplies for competing demands.

Sea level rise, erosion, inundation, risks to infrastructure and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks and tree diseases are causing widespread tree die-off. You can find further exciting information on the subject of climate change and climate protection in our climate booklet.

Offset now. What are the effects of climate change and global warming? Related articles What are climate offset projects? Is the climate change caused by humans? What does climate change mean? What is climate change? The figure at left is a comparison between theoretical and experimental results on how rapid prey evolution affects predator-prey dynamics.

Will sugar maple disappear from the Northeast landscape? Climate warming projections coupled with temperature preferences taken from current tree distribution have some scientists predicting that sugar and red maples will be replaced by warmer adapted forest species in the Northeastern U. Sugar maple is the most abundant tree species in Northeast forests with immense ecological, economic, and cultural importance.

Professor Brian Chabot and his students have been examining this hypothesis with long-term data sets and modeling of tree performance. Contrary to the prediction, they have determined that maples are increasing in abundance in most states and the supposed replacement species are decreasing. Other factors, such as deer consuming seedlings, also significantly affect the relative abundance of tree species.

They have also projected the impact of climate warming on sugar production. The impact is modest and can be countered by altered practices in managing maple sugar forests. Active management of forests by landowners interested in maintaining maple in the landscape for economic reasons will be a key factor in countering the effects of climate change.