In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, 2013, the USGS is highlighting a few aspects of climate change. The effects of climate change have been documented in the United States and around the world. These effects pose challenges and risks to our landscapes, natural and agricultural resources, wildlife, the economy, and the public health and safety of our communities.

USGS scientists seek to measure, document, and understand the changes that have occurred in the Earth’s recent and distant past, and then interpret and communicate the causes and consequences of those changes.

USGS expertise is diverse, for example, seeking to improve our understanding of climate change effects on wildlife and ecosystems; risks to coastal communities associated with sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and storms; how carbon circulates across the globe, including how and where it can be stored in ecosystems and subsurface rocks; and changes in water resource availability, including the effects of droughts and floods.

The USGS makes data free and easily accessible to the public, resource managers, policymakers and other decisionmakers. As the nation’s earth-science agency, the USGS provides unbiased scientific information that serves as a foundation for sound decisions as we face these climate change challenges.

Learn more about USGS climate change science and expertise by visiting the USGS Climate and Land Use Change website.

Slideshow: Faces of Climate Change

The following slideshow highlights examples of climate change impacts to variety of places and people across the globe. This aims to give a glimpse of the many faces of climate change.

Video Series: America’s Climate Change Questions

America has questions about climate change, and the USGS is providing answers through a video series called, Climate Connections.

In these videos, USGS scientists are engaging in conversations and addressing questions from across the nation. The USGS has authoritative and science-based information to address a wide range of topics related to climate change.

There are six episodes from Colorado, the District of Columbia, Glacier National Park, Puerto Rico, and North and South Carolina.

Hyperlinks and details to each episode are provided below.

Watch the Videos

Questions from Colorado include:

• How is Colorado affected by climate change and how can I learn more?
• Were the wildfires this past summer related to climate change?
• Do the bark beetles infesting trees have anything to do with climate change?
• How does the ocean change the climate, and vice versa?

Questions from high school students in D.C. include:

• If you could tell the public one thing about climate change, what would it be?
• Does climate change impact humans or animals more?
• How will climate change affect D.C.?
• When did climate change begin?

Questions from Glacier National Park include:

• When I come back in ten years, what will I see in Glacier National Park?
• How is climate change impacting the glaciers?
• Does all the snow we received this winter help the glaciers?
• How do receding glaciers and climate change affect the local economy in terms of recreation, agriculture, tourism?

Questions from Puerto Rico include:

• Why has the rainy season been so long in Puerto Rico?
• How is global warming impacting the island of Puerto Rico?
• What are solar storms and are they related to climate change?
• Will we see polar bears on the island of Puerto Rico?

Questions from North and South Carolina include:

• How does climate change affect the coast and where can I learn more?
• What are scientists currently doing in regards to rivers and streams?
• Does planting trees impact climate change?
• What do we know now that we didn’t know in the 1970s?

Questions from students in North Carolina include:

• Do all scientists agree that climate change is occurring?
• Could climate change impact fishing?
• Will the climate change abruptly or slowly over time?
• What is geothermal energy and how does it impact the climate?

2012 is the worst fire season on record for many areas of the U.S. The USGS plays an integral role in preparing for and responding to wildfires by providing tools and information before, during and after to identify wildfire risks and reduce hazards, while often providing real-time firefighting support. When the fires are contained, USGS scientists assess the aftermath of wildfires in order to build more resilient communities and ecosystems. This shot shows fires burning in Waldo Canyon in Colorado.

This year has been one of the most destructive fire seasons on record. Smoke from fires currently burning in the foothills and mountains of Colorado is visible as far away as Nebraska and Kansas. The Whitewater Baldy Fire in New Mexico, which has been contained, set a new state record with 298,000 acres burned.

Over 30,000 people have been evacuated from around Colorado Springs and more than 300 homes have burned due to the 16,000-acre Waldo Canyon Fire. Elsewhere in Colorado, more than 250 homes have burned in the 87,500-acre High Park Fire near Fort Collins, and another wildfire is burning in the foothills west of Boulder. Other people are being evacuated from areas in Utah and Montana. Communities across the West are scrambling to ensure people and property are protected, as Idaho and Wyoming also anticipate wildfires.

Wildland fires pose a threat to life and property in many parts of the United States. Over $1 billion was spent last year in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas alone, a cost that is spread between federal agencies, states, rural fire departments, and local municipalities.

The secondary effects of wildfires – erosion, debris flows, changes in water quality, and the introduction of invasive species – can also be dangerous and costly.

Start with Science

The USGS plays an integral role in preparing for and responding to wildfires by providing tools and information before, during, and after the disasters to identify wildfire risks and reduce subsequent hazards, while providing real-time firefighting support during the events.

2012 is the worst fire season on record for many areas of the U.S. The USGS plays an integral role in preparing for and responding to wildfires by providing tools and information before, during and after to identify wildfire risks and reduce hazards, while often providing real-time firefighting support. When the fires are contained, USGS scientists assess the aftermath of wildfires in order to build more resilient communities and ecosystems. This shot shows fires burning in Waldo Canyon in Colorado.

Fire managers and support staff require high-quality, timely GIS maps to guide firefighting. The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center provide up-to-the minute map information and satellite imagery about the current wildfire extent and behavior throughout the nation.

“Useful and timely geospatial data provided by the USGS are critical in helping the Department of the Interior make decisions that support wildland fire management across the nation,” said Kirk Rowdabaugh, Director of the Department’s Office of Wildland Fire Coordination. “Having access to this scientifically valid information is key to helping us successfully respond to fires that threaten the public’s well-being and practice adaptive management during fires to protect resources and enhance landscape resilience.”

Landsat Images of Western Wildfires.

As the fires are contained, USGS scientists are assessing the aftermath of wildfires in order to build more resilient communities and ecosystems. Meanwhile, USGS scientists are preparing for flooding as monsoon season begins later in the summer.

Because fires remove vegetation and the burned soil is less able to absorb rainwater, communities downstream from burned watersheds are at risk of flash flooding and debris flows. To help in National Weather Service flood warnings, USGS scientists in Arizona and New Mexico will install an early warning network of gages, including four stand-alone rain gages and two streamflow gages. The data provided by the new gages will alert downstream communities and emergency management officials and can provide up to an hour of advance warning. The USGS Colorado Water Science Center is working with local agencies to produce a debris flow hazards assessment using a USGS-developed methodology to identify those areas with the highest susceptibility for debris flows when heavy rains hit the fire-stripped slopes.

After the wildfires and other hazards subside, USGS scientists will work with partners to characterize the severity of individual fires and their effects on water quality and supply, hillslope stability, invasive species potential, and impact to other ecosystem services such as wildlife habitat and treasured landscapes.

Wildfires of the Future

The effects of climate change, such as hotter and dryer conditions, are expected to significantly increase wildfire frequency and severity in many parts of the country and world. Wildfires also produce greenhouse gasses that can contribute to and accelerate climate change. USGS scientists are actively involved in studying the connections between climate change and wildfires to help improve our understanding of the future and enhance community preparedness.

2012 is the worst fire season on record for many areas of the U.S. The USGS plays an integral role in preparing for and responding to wildfires by providing tools and information before, during and after to identify wildfire risks and reduce hazards, while often providing real-time firefighting support. When the fires are contained, USGS scientists assess the aftermath of wildfires in order to build more resilient communities and ecosystems. This shot shows fires burning in Waldo Canyon in Colorado.