Construction equipment is used to restore dunes on the North Shore of O'ahu. This is one example of "soft" alternatives to hard armoring that can preserve the natural character of beaches while protec ...

Coastal erosion and "hard armoring" using sea walls has resulted in stretches of shoreline that have no beach, such as this location at Lanikai, O'ahu. Photo courtesy of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant. Used with p ...

California’s supply of groundwater is heavily affected by drought, which is in turn affected by ENSO. Our guest blogger discusses some of these complex relationships.

Intense waves and high sea level events contribute to coastal erosion, which threatened this house on the North Shore of O'ahu. Photo courtesy of Hawai'i Sea Grant. Page/s that contain this ima ...

Summary: Each winter, massive waves attract surfers and visitors to the North Shore of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i. Some years, the waves cause severe erosion, and continuing sea level rise will accelerate this issue. Residents and the state are taking steps to preserve homes and beaches.

In 2015, glaciers across the globe, on average, continued to shrink for the 36th consecutive year.

2015 was a tough year for vegetation, both natural and agricultural, with a near-record area of global land surfaces in some state of drought.

The global mean sea level in 2015 was approximately 7 centimeters (2.7 inches) above the 1993 average, making it the highest observed since the satellite altimeter record began in 1993. Regional variations highlighted the short-term influence of climate phenomena like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the largest El Niño event since 1997/98.

Long-term warming and a strong El Niño contributed to the highest annual combined temperature for ocean and land since reliable records began in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Ocean heat storage has increased substantially since 1993, hitting a record high in 2015, according to the State of the Climate in 2015 report. Ocean warming accounts for over 90% of the warming in Earth’s climate system.