Moving forward, looking backward
Climate change
Climate change describes a change in the typical weather for a region — such as high and low temperatures and amount of rainfall — over a long period of time. 20,000 years ago, much of the United States was covered in glaciers. In the United States today, we have a warmer climate and fewer glaciers.
Weather vs. Climate
The main difference is time. Weather is only temporary. Climate, on the other hand, is more than just a few warm or cool days. Climate describes the typical weather conditions in an entire region for a very long time – 30 years or more.
How do we know Earth’s climate is getting warmer?
Scientists have been observing Earth for a long time. They use NASA satellites and other instruments to collect many types of information about Earth's land, atmosphere, ocean, and ice. It's normal for there to be some greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
They help keep Earth warm enough to live on. But too many greenhouse gases can cause too much warming.
Understanding Climate and Wildfires
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NASA Earth Science Division has many online tools to help understand and track climate change, as well as to learn more about natural hazards such as wildfires. We live on a dynamic, living planet. Land shifts. Seas rise. Volcanoes erupt. Storms rage. Snow melts. Plants grow. Cities expand. These ever-changing, interconnected systems affect all life on Earth, and the planet itself.