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.
Collaborative studies among scientists and decision-makers are identifying strategies to meet current and future water demands.
The western United States faces growing water challenges. Drought, population change, aging infrastructure, and ecosystem needs all strain existing water and power infrastructure, and future climate change is expected to further...
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 new resource ensures that Federal health and climate research is accessible to inform the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
In 2020, the CCHHG began an effort to identify and organize information on federally funded research activities on climate change and human health since 2016. This group, co-led by EPA and NASA, collated this information into a Federal climate change and health research compendium document to help inform authors of the Fifth National...
Interagency efforts ensure that social science expertise helps shape the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
USGCRP’s Social Sciences Coordinating Committee (SSCC) provides regular input into USGCRP’s sustained assessment process, including ongoing engagement with the academic social sciences community and recommendations for the further integration of social science topics into National Climate Assessments.
Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) Webinar for Social Scientists. In October 2020, the SSCC hosted a public webinar for social...
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...
Satellite data products are helping land managers quickly evaluate the health of vulnerable coastal wetlands.
Salt marshes protect communities and infrastructure from storms, filter pollution, and provide habitat for fish and shellfish. These coastal wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels, erosion, and land use change, and land and resource managers need tools to track changes and trends in their health and extent. Satellite data products provide one method for quickly evaluating marsh vulnerability to environmental...
A modeling framework provides insight on future coastal flooding risks to guide resilience efforts.
Sea level rise and other climate-related changes are increasing risks from the impacts of storms on coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. To support efforts to build resilience to climate variability and change, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center-Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) developed the Coastal Hazards System (CHS) as a...
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...