Does the USGS monitor global warming?
Not specifically. Our charge is to understand characteristics of the Earth, especially the Earth's surface, that affect our Nation's land, water, and biological resources. That includes quite a bit of environmental monitoring. Other agencies, especially NOAA and NASA, are specifically funded to monitor global temperature and atmospheric phenomena such as ozone concentrations.
The work through programs of our Land Resources mission (Land Change Science, National Land Imaging and Climate Adaptation Science Centers) focus on understanding the likely consequences of climate change, especially by studying how climate has changed in the past.
Related
Filter Total Items: 19
Changing Arctic ecosystems: resilience of caribou to climatic shifts in the Arctic Changing Arctic ecosystems: resilience of caribou to climatic shifts in the Arctic
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative strives to inform key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information and forecasts for current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. Over the past 5 years, a focal area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the North Slope of Alaska. This region has experienced...
Authors
David D. Gustine, Layne G. Adams, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
Remote sensing of land surface phenology Remote sensing of land surface phenology
Remote sensing of land-surface phenology is an important method for studying the patterns of plant and animal growth cycles. Phenological events are sensitive to climate variation; therefore phenology data provide important baseline information documenting trends in ecology and detecting the impacts of climate change on multiple scales. The USGS Remote sensing of land surface phenology...
Authors
G.A. Meier, Jesslyn F. Brown
U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a nonregulatory Federal science agency with national scope and responsibilities, is uniquely positioned to serve the Nation’s needs in understanding and responding to global change, including changes in climate, water availability, sea level, land use and land cover, ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles. Global change is among...
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, David A. Kirtland, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson, Alec G. Maule, Gerard McMahon, Robert G. Striegl
Changing Arctic ecosystems - measuring and forecasting the response of Alaska's terrestrial ecosystem to a warming climate Changing Arctic ecosystems - measuring and forecasting the response of Alaska's terrestrial ecosystem to a warming climate
The Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska is a complex landscape of lakes, streams, and wetlands scattered across low relief tundra that is underlain by permafrost. This region of the Arctic has experienced a warming trend over the past three decades, leading to thawing of on-shore permafrost and the disappearance of sea ice at an unprecedented rate. The loss of sea ice has increased...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Anthony R. DeGange, Paul L. Flint, Tom F. Fondell, David D. Gustine, Leslie E. Holland-Bartels, Andrew G. Hope, Jerry W. Hupp, Joshua C. Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Sandra L. Talbot, David H. Ward, Mary E. Whalen
Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice
The Arctic is warming faster than other regions of the world due to positive climate feedbacks associated with loss of snow and ice. One highly visible consequence has been a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 3 decades - a decline projected to continue and result in ice-free summers likely as soon as 2030. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Pacific walrus (Odobenus...
Authors
Karen L. Oakley, Mary E. Whalen, David C. Douglas, Mark S. Udevitz, Todd C. Atwood, C. Jay
Changing Arctic ecosystems--research to understand and project changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic Changing Arctic ecosystems--research to understand and project changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic
Ecosystems and their wildlife communities are not static; they change and evolve over time due to numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. A period of rapid change is occurring in the Arctic for which our current understanding of potential ecosystem and wildlife responses is limited. Changes to the physical environment include warming temperatures, diminishing sea ice, increasing...
Authors
Joy Geiselman, Anthony R. DeGange, Karen Oakley, Dirk V. Derksen, Mary E. Whalen
The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet
People have tracked phenology for centuries and for the most practical reasons: it helped them know when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways. Now phenology is being used as a tool to assess climate change and its effects on both natural and modified ecosystems. How is the timing of events in plant and animal life cycles, like flowering or...
Authors
Jake F. Weltzin
Filter Total Items: 21
Related
Filter Total Items: 19
Changing Arctic ecosystems: resilience of caribou to climatic shifts in the Arctic Changing Arctic ecosystems: resilience of caribou to climatic shifts in the Arctic
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative strives to inform key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information and forecasts for current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. Over the past 5 years, a focal area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the North Slope of Alaska. This region has experienced...
Authors
David D. Gustine, Layne G. Adams, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
Remote sensing of land surface phenology Remote sensing of land surface phenology
Remote sensing of land-surface phenology is an important method for studying the patterns of plant and animal growth cycles. Phenological events are sensitive to climate variation; therefore phenology data provide important baseline information documenting trends in ecology and detecting the impacts of climate change on multiple scales. The USGS Remote sensing of land surface phenology...
Authors
G.A. Meier, Jesslyn F. Brown
U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a nonregulatory Federal science agency with national scope and responsibilities, is uniquely positioned to serve the Nation’s needs in understanding and responding to global change, including changes in climate, water availability, sea level, land use and land cover, ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles. Global change is among...
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, David A. Kirtland, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson, Alec G. Maule, Gerard McMahon, Robert G. Striegl
Changing Arctic ecosystems - measuring and forecasting the response of Alaska's terrestrial ecosystem to a warming climate Changing Arctic ecosystems - measuring and forecasting the response of Alaska's terrestrial ecosystem to a warming climate
The Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska is a complex landscape of lakes, streams, and wetlands scattered across low relief tundra that is underlain by permafrost. This region of the Arctic has experienced a warming trend over the past three decades, leading to thawing of on-shore permafrost and the disappearance of sea ice at an unprecedented rate. The loss of sea ice has increased...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Anthony R. DeGange, Paul L. Flint, Tom F. Fondell, David D. Gustine, Leslie E. Holland-Bartels, Andrew G. Hope, Jerry W. Hupp, Joshua C. Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Sandra L. Talbot, David H. Ward, Mary E. Whalen
Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice
The Arctic is warming faster than other regions of the world due to positive climate feedbacks associated with loss of snow and ice. One highly visible consequence has been a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 3 decades - a decline projected to continue and result in ice-free summers likely as soon as 2030. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Pacific walrus (Odobenus...
Authors
Karen L. Oakley, Mary E. Whalen, David C. Douglas, Mark S. Udevitz, Todd C. Atwood, C. Jay
Changing Arctic ecosystems--research to understand and project changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic Changing Arctic ecosystems--research to understand and project changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic
Ecosystems and their wildlife communities are not static; they change and evolve over time due to numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. A period of rapid change is occurring in the Arctic for which our current understanding of potential ecosystem and wildlife responses is limited. Changes to the physical environment include warming temperatures, diminishing sea ice, increasing...
Authors
Joy Geiselman, Anthony R. DeGange, Karen Oakley, Dirk V. Derksen, Mary E. Whalen
The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet
People have tracked phenology for centuries and for the most practical reasons: it helped them know when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways. Now phenology is being used as a tool to assess climate change and its effects on both natural and modified ecosystems. How is the timing of events in plant and animal life cycles, like flowering or...
Authors
Jake F. Weltzin
Filter Total Items: 21
Updated Date: June 10, 2025