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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May 15, 2015Oceans
The last remaining piece of Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf will likely disintegrate by the end of this decade, according to a new NASA-led study. The ice shelf, which partially collapsed in 2002, has existed for at least 10,000 years.
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May 6, 2015National Climate Assessment
By Dr. Tamara Dickinson A year ago today, hundreds of the country’s top climate scientists confirmed that climate change is affecting every region across America in the third U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA) – the most comprehensive scientific report on domestic climate change impacts ever generated. Since then, communities, localities, and...
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May 6, 2015Oceans
A new section of GlobalChange.gov features indicators that visually communicate some of the key aspects and effects of climate change. Users can provide feedback to help shape a broader indicators system that will inform the next National Climate Assessment.
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May 6, 2015National Climate Assessment
A Request for Information issued today seeks public input on next steps for the U.S. National Climate Assessment. Ongoing stakeholder engagement is key to USGCRP's sustained assessment process.
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May 5, 2015National Climate Assessment
USGCRP has selected a set of emissions scenarios and climate projections to focus on for the next quadrennial National Climate Assessment. These scenarios and projections will provide a consistent basis to assess the potential future impacts of climate change and related policy choices.
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May 1, 2015Physical Climate
A new white paper highlights outcomes from the first annual U.S. Climate Modeling Summit. The Summit brought together leadership from the country’s six premier climate modeling centers to strategize around priorities of national interest—from experimental efforts that move science forward to forecasts and projections that inform on-the-ground decisions.
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Apr 24, 2015Water Resources
The Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced four collaborative landscape partnerships to make important lands and waters more resilient to climate change. Federal agencies will work with local, state, and tribal organizations in southwest Florida, Hawaiʻi, Washington, and the Great Lakes.
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Apr 23, 2015Human Health
[Updated April 23] The George Washington University’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, in partnership with USGCRP, will host a public symposium to discuss the draft USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment. The Symposium will take place on April 24 in Washington, DC, with a live webcast available.
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Apr 12, 2015Physical Climate
A new synthesis published in Nature suggests that thawing Arctic permafrost will release greenhouse gases gradually, rather than in a sudden "bomb". The gradual rate of these natural emissions may give society more time to adapt to their effects, but they remain a challenge for climate mitigation.