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.
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Mar 16, 2015Observations, International, Extreme Events, Adaptation
Bangladeshi officials have announced plans to expand the SERVIR satellite-based flood forecasting system for nationwide use. The system uses Jason-2 satellite data to predict flooding as far as eight days in advance, a significant advancement in disaster preparedness for the flood-prone country. SERVIR is a joint initiative between USAID and NASA.
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Jan 31, 2015Physical Climate, Observations, Water Resources, Carbon Cycle, Agriculture & Food, Extreme Events, Adaptation
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.
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Jun 25, 2014Physical Climate, Observations, Human Health, Extreme Events
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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Nov 26, 2013Adaptation, Agriculture & Food, Extreme Events, Modeling, Observations
As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the Administration recently announced an interagency National Drought Resilience Partnership to help communities better prepare for future droughts and reduce the impact of drought events on livelihoods and the economy.
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Dec 14, 2012Observations, Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Indicators, Human Health, Extreme Events
In front of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) national headquarters building in Reston, Va., two genetically identical lilac bushes are rooted in the earth. To casual observers, they are fragrant adornments to the landscaped property. But to ecologist Jake Weltzin and geographer John Jones—USGS scientists who study plant and animal life-cycle events—they are “Li” and “Lac,” two small but important pieces of a developing climate change indicator system.
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Aug 15, 2012Physical Climate, Observations, Extreme Events
The average global temperature for July 2012 was more than 1Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, making it the fourth warmest July since record keeping began in 1880.
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Aug 9, 2012Physical Climate, Observations, Extreme Events
According to the latest statistics from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, the average temperature for the contiguous United States during July was 77.6F, which is 3.3F above the 20th-century average.
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Jun 7, 2012Physical Climate, Observations, Extreme Events
The national temperature of 57.1 degrees F during spring was 5.2 degrees F above the long-term average, besting the previous warmest spring of 1910 by 2.0 degrees F.
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May 1, 2012Observations, Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Extreme Events
Featured on USDA , a member of the U.S. Global Change Research Program The Forest Service recently unveiled a product that helps natural resource managers rapidly detect, identify and respond to unexpected changes in the nation's forests by using web-based tools. The satellite-based monitoring and assessment tool aptly called ForWarn , recognizes