The evidence for abrupt climate change is compelling:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aitutaki atoll: Vulnerable to rising sea levels Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. In the last decade, however, the rate of rise nearly doubled.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Keeling Curve shows a pattern of steadily increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1958.
Levels of Carbon Dioxide are higher today than at anytime in past 650,000 years.
Scientists reconstruct past climate conditions through evidence preserved in tree rings, coral reefs and ice cores. For example, ice cores removed from 2 miles deep in the Antarctic contain atmospheric samples trapped in tiny air bubbles that date as far back as 650,000 years. These samples have allowed scientists to construct a historical record of greenhouse gas concentration stretching back hundreds of thousands of years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The effects of climate change will likely include more frequent droughts in some areas and heavier precipitation in others. Global surface air temperatures rose three-quarters of a degree Celsius (almost one and a half degrees Fahrenheit) in the last century, but at twice that amount in the past 50 years. Eleven of the last 12 years (1995-2006) are the warmest since accurate recordkeeping began in 1850.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.18 degrees Fahrenheit since 1955.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flowing meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have shrunk in both area and mass. Data from JPLs Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The disappearing snowcap of Mount Kilimanjaro, from space. Mountain glaciers and snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres, and may disappear altogether in certain regions of our planet, such as the Himalayas, by 2030.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving to higher elevations or closer to the poles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Precipitation and evaporation patterns over the oceans have changed, as evidenced by increased ocean salinity near the equator and decreased salinity at higher latitudes.6
You need to be a member of Earth Matters to add comments!
Join this social network