Highlights

Since 1989, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has submitted annual reports to Congress called Our Changing Planet. The reports describe the status of USGCRP research activities, provide progress updates, and document recent accomplishments.

In particular, Our Changing Planet highlights progress and accomplishments in interagency activities. These highlights represent the broad spectrum of USGCRP activities that extend from Earth system observations, modeling, and fundamental research through synthesis and assessment, decision support, education, and public engagement. Highlights describe the state of science at the time of publication of each yearly report, and may not reflect more recent advances in understanding. The date of publication of the source report is noted on each highlight page.

Interagency science informed the synthesis of actionable research to support Federal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2020, DoD began working with interagency partners to synthesize actionable research on potential environmental drivers impacting the life and spread of the COVID-19 virus. From this collective research, representatives from the Air Force Directorate of Weather worked with DoD’s operational climate services unit, the 14th Weather Squadron in Asheville, NC, to produce actionable products for senior DoD leaders on potential environmental drivers of...

Three field researchers pictured while making forest assessments, just off a wooded footpath in Vietnam.

A group of researchers gather around computers, engaged in lively discussion during a training session in the Congo Basin.

Two field researchers fastened to a carbon flux tower during a training session in the Andean Amazon.

SilvaCarbon leverages state-of-the-art science and technology to advance the generation and use of information in managing forest and terrestrial carbon.

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Line graphs show movement of marine species northward by about 20 miles and deeper by an average of 21 feet between 1982 and 2018. Two maps show movement of selected species over the time period that follow the same trend.

New climate indicators and communications efforts tell the story of climate change through federally supported observations.

Climate indicators show trends over time in important aspects of our environment, such as greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and the start of spring each year. Indicators are based on long-term, consistently collected data and can be used to assess risks and vulnerabilities from a changing climate and to inform response actions. IndIWG developed an interagency web platform for...

Dried, brown corn stalks wilt under the sun in cracked soil from the effects of extreme heat and drought.

The Drought Learning Network supports knowledge exchange on drought management in the U.S. Southwest.

The Drought Learning Network (DLN) brings together drought management leaders and resource managers to support knowledge sharing and improve collaboration around building resilience among communities impacted by drought in the U.S. Southwest, one of the hottest and driest regions of the world. The DLN was created by drought management leaders from the USDA Southwest Climate Hub, the National...

New data products integrate multiple sources of soil moisture information to improve drought monitoring and prediction.

Drought is one of the most destructive and costly natural disasters, resulting in diminished agricultural production, reduced water resources, and deadly heatwaves. NOAA and the National Integrated Drought Information System have supported interagency activities to develop a national-scale drought product that integrates multiple sources of soil moisture...

A satellite captures an atmospheric river from space. The white, banding plumes stretch across the Pacific and make landfall on the U.S. West Coast, with the curvature of Earth still in frame.

Collaboration across modeling, observational, and process research communities aims to improve how models represent and predict precipitation.

Many extreme events and related impacts are associated with the intensity, duration, and frequency of precipitation, including drought, flooding, wildfire, and severe storms. Understanding when, where, and how much precipitation will fall can help decision-makers and planners in agriculture, emergency management, energy, and other sectors prepare for and reduce costs from potential impacts. While models are skilled at simulating...

USGCRP agencies mobilized support for research on the health implications of climate change.

As part of its mandate to promote international cooperation in global change research, USGCRP engages with the Belmont Forum, an international partnership that catalyzes funding for research in support of resilience and sustainability. USGCRP member agencies (including NOAA, NSF, USDA, and the National Institutes of Health) participated in the scoping, call text writing, review, and funding of nine research proposals on climate, environment, and health supported...

A heat health forecast tool aims to help communities better prepare for and respond to extreme heat events.

The CCHHG, led by NOAA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with input from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies, developed a Climate and Health Monitor and Outlook Heat Forecast Product for the continental United States based on NOAA seasonal forecasts. The heat health forecast tool displays the rate of heat-related illness by region for a given week and is designed to help communities better prepare for and...

An aerial view of the Chesapeake’s Swan Island spotted with new marsh and dune plant growth, and its coasts lined with restored sediment.

Nature-based restoration efforts on Swan Island aim to protect coastal communities from erosion and storm surge while restoring ecosystems.

Coastal islands and marshes in the Chesapeake Bay provide habitat for many species and protect coastal communities from wave energy. Within the last half century, the effects of shoreline erosion, land subsidence, and sea level rise have accelerated the rate of island submergence and degradation of ecosystems in the region. In one example, the Smith Island complex, of which Swan Island is a part, has eroded at rates of up to 2 meters per...

Researchers used interagency modeling and observational capabilities to understand the impacts of reduced pollution related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Earth’s energy balance.

Lockdown measures enacted to control the spread of COVID-19 led to a worldwide reduction in emissions of tiny atmospheric particles known as aerosols. Through their interactions with solar energy and clouds, aerosols play a significant role in shaping Earth’s energy balance (or the balance between incoming energy from the sun and outgoing energy from the Earth) and climate that is still inadequately...

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Highlights

Translating research on the environmental drivers of COVID-19 to support decision-making

Improving monitoring of forest carbon stocks

Communicating climate change

Sharing knowledge on drought resilience

Providing national-scale drought information

Improving precipitation prediction

Supporting international health and climate research

Informing heat health decisions

Building coastal resilience in the Chesapeake Bay

Measuring the atmospheric impacts of COVID-19-related emissions reductions