Precipitation Patterns, Sea Levels and Glaciers

Part 6 of United States Climate Change Impact. Precipitation patterns are changing Precipitation is not distributed evenly over the globe. Its average distribution is governed primarily by atmospheric circulation patterns, the availability of moisture, and surface terrain effects. The first two of these factors are influenced by temperature. Thus, human-caused changes in temperature are expected […]


Rising Temperatures, Carbon release and uptake and Ocean Acidification

Part 5 of United States Climate Change Impact. Carbon release and uptake Once carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere, some of it is absorbed by the oceans and taken up by vegetation, although this storage may be temporary. About 45 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities in the last 50 years […]


United States Climate Change Impact Summary

Part 2 of United States Climate Change Impact. Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal. The global warming observed over the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. These emissions come mainly from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), with important contributions from the clearing […]


Tsunami Awareness and Safety

What is a tsunami and where do they happen? Tsunamis are a series of large ocean waves generated by large undersea disturbances, such as a major earthquake on the sea floor or landslide. Tsunamis are not affected by tides or currents – a tsunami in the ocean means the whole water column is moving, not […]


Flood Depth and Elevation Effects On Your Home

Part 2 of How Can A Flood Damage Your Home. The depth and elevation of flooding are so closely related that, for the purposes of this discussion, they can be viewed as a single characteristic. Flood depth is the height of the floodwater above the surface of the ground or other feature at a specific […]