Picture This: A National Climate Change Viewer that Helps Land Managers and Decision Makers Plan for Climate Change

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2021-09-03 22:30:08

The enormity of the challenge posed by climate change makes it difficult to visualize and understand on the ground. Even though wide-ranging impacts are visible today, it’s hard to envision how tomorrow’s changes will take shape. What will the temperature be in Portland in the spring, or how much rain might Dallas get in the fall? The USGS has a tool that can help address that challenge.

The USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV) is a web-based application that provides easy access to succinct information about possible future climate change. In the updated viewer, users can view, analyze, and download past and projected climate and hydrologic data for the period from 1950 through 2099 for two future greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenarios. Its applications extend to resource managers, planners, and researchers, but it’s an interesting tool for any member of the public who wants to envision future scenarios.

The climate projections included in the USGS NCCV are based on global climate model simulations conducted by 20 worldwide modeling centers that contributed to the 5th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report (IPCC). The IPCC report represents some of the most comprehensive insights of the planet’s climate system and include various scenarios for future changes to the climate based on different levels of greenhouse gas emissions.