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The latest edition of Our Changing Planet, USGCRP's annual report to Congress, highlights progress in advancing science, informing decisions, conducting assessments, and engaging with diverse audiences. The report also spotlights interagency priority areas, including climate predictions, global change in the Arctic, water extremes, and actionable science.

The U.S. Climate Modeling Summit brought together representatives from the Nation’s major research and operational climate modeling programs

A new white paper highlights outcomes from the first annual U.S. Climate Modeling Summit. The Summit brought together leadership from the country’s six premier climate modeling centers to strategize around priorities of national interest—from experimental efforts that move science forward to forecasts and projections that inform on-the-ground decisions.

Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

A new synthesis published in Nature suggests that thawing Arctic permafrost will release greenhouse gases gradually, rather than in a sudden "bomb". The gradual rate of these natural emissions may give society more time to adapt to their effects, but they remain a challenge for climate mitigation.

Artist's rendering of the SMAP satellite in orbit

Although the amount of moisture stored in soil is just a small fraction of Earth’s water, it plays a big role in the Earth system. NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, launched into orbit this morning, will collect unprecedented measurements of soil moisture around the globe.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Synthesis Report on Sunday, confirming that warming in the climate system is unequivocal and, if left unaddressed, will increase the likelihood of pervasive, irreversible damage to the environment and society. However, options to limit climate change and adapt to its impacts are available.

The latest edition of Our Changing Planet, USGCRP's annual report to Congress, gives an overview of the Federal global change research enterprise, with plain-language highlights spotlighting recent efforts to advance science and support societal needs.

A new report investigates the causes of extreme weather and climate events that occurred around the world in 2013, finding evidence for both human and natural influences.

NASA image of the ozone hole over Antarctica

New NASA research shows that Earth's atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of carbon tetrachloride (CC14), an ozone-depleting chemical that was banned worldwide decades ago. According to the study, global emissions of CCl4 average 39 kilotons per year—approximately 30 percent of peak emissions prior to its banning.

Early this morning, NASA launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), a new science satellite that will measure Earth's output and uptake of carbon dioxide—the leading greenhouse gas responsible for climate change.

Both NASA and NOAA have ranked May 2014 as the planet’s hottest May since records began in 1880. UPDATE: Since this article was published, June 2014, August 2014, September 2014, and October 2014 have also set records for monthly average temperatures.

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Latest News

Annual Report Highlights Scientific Progress, Societal Value

Modeling Summit Bridges Weather & Climate, Research & Operations

From Thawing Permafrost, Slow but Steady Emissions Likely

SMAP Into Action: Satellite to Measure Soil Moisture From Space

IPCC Confirms: Climate Change is an Urgent Threat, Solutions Exist

Our Changing Planet: The Year in Global Change Research

Extreme Weather Events of 2013: Human-Caused or Natural Variability?

Ozone-Depleting Chemical Persists in Atmosphere, Source Unknown

Carbon Observatory Heads Into Orbit

Last Month Was Earth's Hottest May on Record