What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
Although people tend to use these terms interchangeably, global warming is just one aspect of climate change.
“Global warming” refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
“Climate change” refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.
By Climate Adaptation Science Centers April 21, 2022
There are many pieces to the Climate Change puzzle. This Earth Day, learn about the many ways USGS science helps develop solutions to this puzzle!
Check out the climate change puzzle pieces USGS science is a part of:
An image of a puzzle piece with a bumblebee perched on a yellow flower. Part of a word is visible over the puzzle piece, but only the letters "AL". The USGS logo is in the bottom right.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with a bumblebee perched on a yellow flower. Part of a word is visible over the puzzle piece, but only the letters "AL". The USGS logo is in the bottom right.
The first #Climate puzzle piece: Plants and Animals!
Global climate change has rippling effects on our environment, impacting where plants, animals, and humans can live. The USGS studies how climate change affects natural places and provides solutions to help protect fish, wildlife, and habitats.
USGS science helps to:
Understand climate change effects on fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems
Model species range shifts under potential future conditions
Identify species particularly vulnerable to climate change
Identify areas relatively buffered from climate change (“climate refugia”) that may help vulnerable species survive
Develop climate adaptation strategies and inform implementation for species and ecosystems
Support DOI partners in incorporating climate information into conservation and management decisions
Understand climate-induced shifts in phenology and identify potential management solutions
Protect ecosystem services important to communities
Measure species’ natural abilities to adapt to climate change (adaptive capacity)
Support climate adaptation efforts of Tribal Nations and other Indigenous peoples
An image of a puzzle piece with tree rings. A part of a word is visible over the puzzle piece, but only the letters " T LOC" are visible. Below these letters is the text #EARTHDAY.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with tree rings. A part of a word is visible over the puzzle piece, but only the letters " T LOC" are visible. Below these letters is the text #EARTHDAY.
The next #Climate puzzle piece: Paleoclimate!
Life on Earth has existed for over 3 billion years. By studying ancient climate, called paleoclimate, researchers can learn about how the Earth changes over time and how life is impacted. The USGS uses rock and fossil records to understand ancient climate, giving us insights into how modern climate change may alter our world.
USGS science helps by:
Predicting future El Niño events and their expected effect on droughts and floods
Defining how seafloor changes can lead to Arctic Sea ice variability
Determining how sea level rise might affect the coastal and fishing industries
Assessing future vegetation patterns to inform farming practices
Evaluating how sea level rise will increase the risk to population centers
Predicting how the water cycle may change around the world
Improving climate models for more accurate forecasts
An image of a puzzle piece with bright orange and yellow flames. The text on the puzzle piece is part of a word, but only the letters "AC" are visible.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with bright orange and yellow flames. The text on the puzzle piece is part of a word, but only the letters "AC" are visible.
The next #Climate puzzle piece: Drought & Fire!
Wildfire and drought are serious environmental threats across the United States. Climate change exacerbates droughts and wildfire by making them both more frequent, longer, and more severe. The USGS works with state and federal partners to study, monitor, and help mitigate drought and wildfire impacts across the U.S. now and into the future.
Our science helps to:
Explore the effects of fire and droughts on plants, animals, watersheds, ecosystems, communities, and human health
Help develop strategies for water management under drought conditions and post-fire recovery
Understand the connection between droughts and wildfires
Use the fossil record to compare past droughts to current ones
Forecast future drought & wildfire risks and identify vulnerable ecosystems and communities
Understand how climate change contributes to modern droughts and fires
Develop strategies to mitigate compounding impacts of fire, species invasions, and drought
Build advanced computer models that can help managers plan prescribed fires, which can prevent damaging wildfires and promote ecosystem health, and predict the behavior and impacts of wildfire to aid in fire suppression and post-fire ecological monitoring
An image of a puzzle piece with picturesque fog-shrouded blue mountain range against a red sunset. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters "OBAL" are visible.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with picturesque fog-shrouded blue mountain range against a red sunset. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters "OBAL" are visible.
The next #Climate puzzle piece: Greenhouse gas and carbon storage!
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere retain heat from the Sun, allowing plants and animals to flourish. As the amount of these gases change, so does the atmosphere’s effectiveness at trapping heat. The USGS tracks greenhouse gas emissions and uptake across the nation and explores mechanisms for storing carbon and reducing emissions to help lessen the effects of climate change. Carbon sequestration helps slow or possibly reverse the effects of climate change. The USGS is exploring two major approaches to carbon dioxide removal and storage:
Geologic Carbon Sequestration: Geologic carbon sequestration involves storing carbon dioxide in stable rock formations. The USGS is an international leader in identifying rock formations with high potential for carbon storage and is exploring the mechanisms and potential consequences of this process.
Biologic Carbon Sequestration: Ecosystems like forests and wetlands can absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it for long time periods, from decades to thousands of years. Much of this work currently focuses on carbon stored in coastal regions, known as “blue carbon.”
USGS science helps by:
Conducting research on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in public lands
Investigating methods of land management aimed at decreasing emissions from federal lands
Providing decision-makers, local communities, and land managers with tools to analyze tradeoffs associated with changing energy practices
Developing natural carbon dioxide removal technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration and to decrease natural methane emissions
An image of a puzzle piece with a blue-green ocean on it. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters "K GLO" are visible.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with a blue-green ocean on it. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters "K GLO" are visible.
The next #Climate puzzle piece: Coasts!
From sea level rise and high-tide flooding to coastal erosion and intensifying storms, climate change poses many risks to coastlines. USGS scientists help coastal communities better understand climate change impacts, inform emergency responses, and provide insights to improve resilience and preserve coastal resources in the future.
Our science helps to:
Forecast future storms/floods/coastal erosion and predict the resulting impacts on coasts
Build a better understanding of coastal ecosystems such as #Wetlands, #CoralReefs, and #SaltMarshes
Understand climate change impacts to coastal ecosystems and communities, particularly related to sea level rise
Develop decision support tools to help coastal communities prepare for and recover from storms, floods, and erosion
Restore and protect coastal ecosystems that absorb greenhouse gasses, reducing the effects of climate change (#BlueCarbon)
An image of a puzzle piece with a large glacier on it. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters “THIN” are visible.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
An image of a puzzle piece with a large glacier on it. The piece has part of a word, but only the letters “THIN” are visible.
The last #Climate puzzle piece: Snow, Ice, and Permafrost!
Climate change has a profound effect on the Earth’s cryosphere, the portions of planet's surface covered by snow and ice. This has diverse impacts on global water supplies, economies, coastal communities, and ecosystems. The USGS monitors snow, ice, and glacier levels across the country and helps communities understand what a warming cryosphere means for them.
USGS research helps to:
Understand and predict future levels of snow and ice formation
Monitor glacial recession and quantify impacts on local ecosystems and communities
Understand impacts of snow and ice loss on plants, animals, and human communities
Identify climate refugia that may retain cold conditions and shelter cold-dependent species
Quantify climate change repercussions of greenhouse gas emissions from melting permafrost
Help communities understand, predict, and prepare for hazards such as avalanches and glacial outburst floods
Understand relationships between snow/ice loss and droughts, floods, and fires
Measure changes in sea ice formation and resulting impacts on animal and human communities
Increase understanding of snow droughts and impacts on water supply
Understand, monitor, and predict coastal erosion in the Arctic
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!
A puzzle with six pieces that fit together to make the words "Think Global, Act Local"
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
A puzzle with the words "Think Global, Act Local". Each piece represents one of the climate science themes of USGS science.
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Earth Day Climate Change Puzzle & USGS Climate Science Solutions | U.S. Geological Survey
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
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