As of 2022, the warming effect of long-lived greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere had increased by 49% compared to 1990. Relative to pre-industrial times, today's atmosphere absorbs more than 3 extra watts of energy per square meter.
Climate models project that 100-degree days will become more numerous and widespread by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air lead to more acidic seawater. More acidic water corrodes minerals that many marine creatures rely on to build their protective shells and skeletons.
Each of the last three decades was warmer than all earlier decades in the instrumental record, and each set a new and statistically significant record, culminating in the 2000s, which was the warmest decade of all.
Christopher Landsea, of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, works with tropical storm data and other hurricane experts to figure out how our warming world will affect hurricanes. Find out what current research tells us about hurricanes in the future.
CalNex—an intense data collection campaign to characterize the complicated interactions of air quality and climate over California—used an array of instruments and platforms this spring for a close look at greenhouse gases and pollutants.
Twice a month, scientists send weather balloons into the air to collect data about the atmosphere, from the ground all the way up to the darkness of near space. Many gathered for the launch of last week’s balloon, which marked 30 years of NOAA water vapor measurements in Boulder.
Global climate models project that near the end of the 21st century, average surface temperature over most of Earth’s surface will be several degrees warmer than today, mainly due to rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The “Scarlet Knight” becomes the first unmanned underwater glider to successfully cross the Atlantic. The technology promises to improve our understanding of the ocean and its role in climate and weather.
Two photographs, taken 18 months apart, show a significant decrease in Lake Powell during the most serious period of recent drought.