The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms. The level of climate change we will see depends on how quickly we cut emissions of dangerous greenhouse gases. An indicator of changes in the Arctic sea ice minimum over time. In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are projected across most of the U.S. by the end of the century, with slightly smaller increases in the northern Great Plains. NASA visualizations of future precipitation scenarios, NASA: Megadroughts in U.S. West projected to be worst of millennium. Things that we depend upon and value — water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health — are experiencing the effects of a changing climate. Below are some of the impacts that are currently visible throughout the U.S. and will continue to affect these regions, according to the Third3 and Fourth4 National Climate Assessment Reports, released by the U.S. Although agricultural practices may be adaptable, changes like increased temperatures, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes create challenges for the farmers and ranchers who put food on our tables. Climate change is already prompting an increase in migration, with people being forced to leave their homes because of drought, flooding, and other climate-related disasters. A visualization of global temperature changes since 1880 based on NASA GISS data. 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 1,000 years, according to a NASA study published in Science Advances on February 12, 2015. Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. In addition, climate change makes forests more vulnerable to fires by increasing … Two degrees may sound like a small amount, but it's an unusual event in our planet's recent history. Human health is vulnerable to climate change. Change Will Continue Through This Century and Beyond. One of the impacts of a warming climate that will affect our coastal communities is sea level rise. The U.S. In the aftermath of the event, experts agreed that the intensity of this storm was fueled by our changing climate. In the Midwest and northeastern states, the frequency of heavy downpours has increased. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen. Indo-Pacific Ocean warming is changing global rainfall patterns, Rainfall declines may affect U.S. West Coast and parts of the East Coast, New research examines climate change’s role in 2018 extreme weather events. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean acidification hands-on activities (MS), Earth science lessons and activities (MS, HS), Ocean acidification and shellfish farming (video), Understanding the marine heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest (60 minute webinar), Managing national marine sanctuaries in a changing ocean (60 minute webinar), Communicating climate change: Resources for making it stick (60 minute webinar), U.S. Drought Portal: maps, data and forecasts, The impacts of climate change on human health in the United States, Quarterly regional impact reports and outlooks, Talking with IPCC vice-chair Ko Barrett: On climate change and consensus building, Ocean acidification Q&A with NOAA scientist Shallin Busch, Does "global warming" mean it's warming everywhere? This collection provides teachers and students with opportunities to explore some of the environmental changes that are taking place. 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