Climate Fact Sheets

Using the Sedimentary Record to Understand Climates of the Past (December 2008)

Did you know that cycads and palm trees lived 53 million years ago in what is now Wyoming? Or that pebbles on the ocean bottom have been used to reconstruct the extent of glaciers during the last ice age? This is the first of a fact sheet series on paleoclimatoloty, the study of climate prior to the age of weather records.

Climate Change and the Amazon (November 2008)

Learn about the interactions between Earth’s climate and the Amazon Basin. 

Climate Change and Atlantic Circulation (October 2008)

From affecting tropical storm behavior to rainfall patterns to extreme winter temperatures, what happens in the Atlantic can strongly influence North America’s weather.

Climate Change and America’s Public Lands and Waters (September 2008)

Case studies on climate-driven changes in Glacier National Park, the Boise River Watershed, and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Climate and Ecosystems of the Far North (August 2008)

Information on climate-driven changes the Boreal Forest and Arctic Tundra regions.

Climate and Agriculture (July 2008)

Describes how things like carbon dioxide concentrations, temperature increases, exteme rainfall events, etc. can impact crops and livestock.

Climate and Mosquitoes (June 2008)

Provides information on mosquito life-cycles, and how climate impacts mosquito populations and mosquito-borne diseases.

North American Wildlife (June 2008)

Information on how recent climate trends have affected North America’s wild animals.

Climate Cycles and Tropical Cyclones (May 2008)

A discussion of how natural climate cycles have likely influenced hurricane frequency and intensity over the past 5,000 years.

North American Terrestrial Ecosystems (May 2008)

Decribes how climate change can affect disturbance regimes, phenology, species composition, and cause life zone shifts.

Public Health (April 2008)

Explores how recent trends such as temperature extremes, longer growing seasons, and milder winters have impacted heat and cold related mortality, airborne allergens, and diseases.

Antarctica (March 2008)

A description of Antarctica’s regions, geologic history, interaction with global climate cycles, and recent trends in different segments of the Continent’s ice.

Drought (December 2007)

Discusses the climate variables that affect the occurrence of drought in the United States, which include the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle, and recent unidirectional climate trends.

Ocean Ecosystem Changes (November 2007)

Examples of how a general warming of ocean waters and changes in the behavior of ocean currents are affecting ocean food webs.

Weather Related Disasters (September 2007)

Information on how recent climate trends have affected the frequency and severity of weather related disasters.