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Home » Climate Change

Climate Change

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5 unexpected consequences of extreme heat

The climate crisis has been projected to bring changes to our world of unprecedented and unpredictable depth and range. From rising seas and stronger storms, to extreme heat and disease, we are experiencing changes that scientists have predicted for decades. But what about the unexpected consequences of extreme heat due to climate change? This summer was the hottest on record and the coolest it may ever be again. As the U.S. summer heat season finally wanes, we’ve compiled a short list of five consequences of living with extreme heat for everyone to think about as we look ahead to the 2024 heat season.

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Ripple Effect: A Public-Private Partnership Advances Ocean Science

New technologies allow us to explore uncharted territory, improve our understanding of the world, and make exciting discoveries that solve complex problems. The best technologies are born out of collaboration, when the right mix of people, resources, and skills come together around an innovative idea.

Sunset view from underneath an airplane's wing

NOAA researchers fly out over the Pacific to investigate cloud-forming marine sulfur

While the shade offered by clouds on a hot sunny day can be obvious, quantifying the actual climate impact in terms of solar energy remains a challenging task. This is because the volume, thickness, and lifetime of marine clouds can change rapidly, and the processes that govern how and where clouds  form and how gases and aerosols in the air interact with cloud droplets are highly complex. In a marine environment, many of those gases and aerosols in the air come from the ocean itself. 

FREETOWN HEAT ISLAND CAMPAIGN In January 2023, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, shared information about heat health issues facing Freetown residents and the work being done to address these challenges. Courtesy of Eric Hubbard

Lessons from heat mapping in two tropical cities

For the last seven years, NOAA has supported more than 70 U.S. communities in projects to help citizens map the hottest neighborhoods of their community. Earlier this year, NOAA branched into the wider world to support heat island mapping campaigns overseas. 

Greenhouse gases continued to increase rapidly in 2022

Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide, the three greenhouse gases emitted by human activity that are the most significant contributors to climate change, continued their historically high rates of growth in the atmosphere during 2022, according to NOAA scientists. 

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