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Modern global climate change.

Thomas R Karl¹, Kevin E Trenberth

¹National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Satellite and Information Services, 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC, 28801-5001, USA. Thomas.R.Karl@noaa.gov

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|December 6, 2003

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Human activities significantly drive modern climate change, primarily through altered atmospheric composition from energy use and urbanization. These changes will continue for centuries, causing disruptive impacts like extreme weather and sea level rise.

Area of Science:

Climate Science
Environmental Science
Atmospheric Science

Background:

Modern climate change is predominantly influenced by human activities.
Human-induced alterations in atmospheric composition are the primary drivers of global climate change.
Urbanization and land use changes also contribute significantly to climate change on local and regional scales.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize the current understanding of human influences on climate change.
To highlight the challenges in predicting, adapting to, and mitigating climate change impacts.
To underscore the long-term and potentially disruptive nature of anthropogenic climate change.

Main Methods:

Analysis of scientific literature and data on climate change drivers.

Related Experiment Videos

Assessment of current monitoring and understanding of climate system changes.

Identification of scientific, technical, and institutional impediments.

Main Results:

Human influences on climate now exceed natural variability.
Emissions from energy use are the main source of global climate change.
Projected impacts include altered temperature and precipitation extremes, reduced snow and ice extent, and sea level rise.

Conclusions:

Anthropogenic climate change is a long-term phenomenon, likely to persist for centuries.
Significant uncertainties remain regarding the precise rates and impacts of future climate change.
The consequences of climate change could be highly disruptive, necessitating proactive adaptation and mitigation strategies.