For your weekly dose of science, there is a tool that shows how much the sea will rise near you. It sounds good, but it’s actually terrifying. Climate change is a real danger, despite what some people may think, and this tool proves it. Thanks to Climate Explorer, you can now see a simulation of your area in relation to sea levels. It shows how much of the sea will rise in your location, which is very intense.
While it is a very fun tool, it is also alarming to see the ocean levels rise so quickly. Plus, by plugging in your region, it makes it that much more real.
Well, first you go to Climate Explorer, which has a LOT of fun information. Some of the tools include maps, graphs and projects that you can download. It is meant to help everyone — including world leaders — prepare for geographical changes. The toolkit was created by the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With their skills and background in climate change you can discover the truths about this environmental phenomenon.
There is also a specific Sea Level Rise Viewer, which is what we recommend you try. This gives photo simulations of what could happen with flooding due to climate change. You can check out the beta version here and tailor it to your local coastline. In addition to showing what areas will be most affected by rising sea levels, the simulation shows images of water filling landmarks. Yikes! Take a look at the simulation videos and let us know what you think about the reality of climate change.
Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.So, the Earth's average temperature has increased about 1 degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century. What's the big deal?
One degree may sound like a small amount, but it's an unusual event in our planet's recent history. Earth's climate record, preserved in tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs, shows that the global average temperature is stable over long periods of time. Furthermore, small changes in temperature correspond to enormous changes in the environment. For example, at the end of the last ice age, when the Northeast United States was covered by more than 3,000 feet of ice, average temperatures were only 5 to 9 degrees cooler than today.
Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. According to the IPCC, the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change.
The IPCC predicts that increases in global mean temperature of less than 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 3 degrees Celsius) above 1990 levels will produce beneficial impacts in some regions and harmful ones in others. Net annual costs will increase over time as global temperatures increase. "Taken as a whole," the IPCC states, "the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time."