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.

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...

A heavily flooded residential area in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Dark, muddy waters cover the roads, and crest just below roof- and treetops.

New research shows that the destructive power of individual tropical cyclones is likely to increase over this century.

New research led by NOAA scientists found that as global temperatures and global average sea level continue to rise throughout this century, the destructive power of individual tropical cyclones (including hurricanes, tropical storms, and typhoons) is likely to increase.^{^[1]} The assessment, conducted by a World Meteorological Organization science team, evaluated modeling studies of how...

A next-generation modeling system supports assessment of changing climate risks.

NOAA, the USGS, and Princeton University scientists contributed to the development of a new modeling system for seasonal-to-multidecadal climate predictions and projections, SPEAR (Seamless System for Prediction and Earth System Research), at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.^{^[1]} SPEAR combines a set of newly developed components that...

Surveys of adaptation efforts adopted by businesses highlight opportunities for building resilience to complex climate events and other stressors.

Increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate and weather events put U.S. businesses at risk through closures, infrastructure damage, supply chain disruptions, and physical impacts on health and safety. The interaction among extreme events and other social and environmental stressors that affect U.S. businesses can lead to compound, simultaneous risks with impacts across multiple sectors that cause significant...

A researcher stands next to a large, horizontal stack of tree cross sections salvaged after a hurricane. Her hand rests on the trunk of one of the freshly-cut cross sections.

Studies of vulnerability to hurricane impacts in agriculture and forestry support efforts to reduce risks from future storms.

Three storms in the 2017 hurricane season caused catastrophic damage to communities, livelihoods, and infrastructure in the U.S. Southeast and Caribbean, including billions of dollars in losses in the agriculture and forestry sector. Climate change and other stressors are expected to increase damages and disruptions from hurricanes in the future, driving research to improve understanding of sector-specific vulnerabilities to storms and how best to...

The U.S. Midwest is a major producer of a wide range of food and animal feed for national consumption and international trade. Higher humidity, precipitation, and temperatures associated with a changing climate increasingly impact agriculture in the region, and projected climate changes are expected to pose growing challenges to agricultural productivity in the coming decades.^{^[1]}

Weather and climate information targeted to the needs of agricultural producers can help producers increase the resilience of their...

This image of Pee Dee River in South Carolina was captured by NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument aboard a September 17, 2018 science flight.

Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas on September 14, 2018, causing widespread flooding and damage. In the aftermath of the storm, NASA deployed airborne radar to map floodwaters threatening the region, supplying federal, state, and local agencies with information critical to disaster response efforts.

Airborne radar is able to “see” through cloud cover to image the ground below during day and night and can map flooding occurring under...

The NMME (yellow column) is a seasonal forecasting system that combines individual models (purple columns N1-N6) to produce more accurate predictions of climate. In forecasts of precipitation (top two panels) and temperature (bottom two panels)—key factor

Drought is a significant hazard for the United States, with potentially severe and long-lasting impacts on the Nation’s economy and food and water supplies. USGCRP agencies are advancing our understanding of the causes and consequences of drought, an FY 2015 interagency research priority (see Section 4). They are also collaborating in efforts to support drought preparedness and recovery, such as the National Drought Resilience Partnership (a deliverable of the President’s Climate Action Plan) and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).

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Highlights

Improving precipitation prediction

Assessing the effects of climate change on tropical cyclones

Developing a new seasonal-to-decadal climate prediction system

Exploring small and medium business resilience

Learning from climate disasters

An ongoing partnership provides climate information to agricultural producers

Interagency data products and research inform hurricane response and recovery in the Carolinas

Drought Research to Support Management and Preparedness