Drone's-Eye View: Flying Vehicles Could Monitor Ice in Remote Regions

Drones face a new set of challenges as scientists deploy the remote flying vehicles to create maps of sea ice in some of the most remote locations on Earth.

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Mind-Reading Computer Instantly Decodes People's Thoughts

A new computer program can decode what people are looking at almost as soon as they see the object, new research shows.

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Watch a Brain Get Its Signature Folds | Video

Researchers using a brain model have recreated the processes that cause the initially smooth brain to get its characteristic folds and wrinkly appearance. The rapid expansion of the brain’s cortex causes it to swell, then crinkle.

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Zika Prevention: Can Pregnant Women Safely Use Mosquito Repellants?

Pregnant women are bombarded with advice about avoiding chemicals. Should they use mosquito repellants?

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Nice Guys Win: Women Choose Altruism Over Looks

Forget the expression "nice guys finish last." A new study finds that men who are concerned for the well-being of others in place of themselves may have a better shot with women compared to men who are just good-looking.

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Autism Risk Linked to Obesity, Diabetes Combination in Moms

Children born to women with obesity and diabetes may have an increased risk of autism, a new study suggests.

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Fungi Survive Mars-Like Conditions On Space Station

Two species of tiny fungi from Antarctica survived an 18-month exposure to Mars-like conditions aboard the International Space Station, according to the study, which was published last month in the journal Astrobiology.

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Ancient Humans Ate Cantaloupe-Size Eggs from 500-Pound Birds

The burnt eggshell fragments of an ancient giant bird have helped scientists solve a 50,000-year-old whodunit in Australia.

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F-35 Fighter Jet Likely Caused Sonic Booms That Rocked New Jersey

The sonic booms that rattled residents of New Jersey up to Long Island, New York, yesterday may have been the result of flight testing of fighter jets at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland.

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Want to Make a Volcano Explode? Just Add Heat

Love it when things go ka-blooey? Be sure you add a lot of heat.

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Smartphone Trick Could Change Your Sedentary Lifestyle

Using reminders on your smartphone could prompt you to get moving.

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Mysterious Sonic Boom Reported Over New Jersey

The boom was followed by nine others along the Eastern Seaboard from New Jersey to Long Island, New York. The cause of the booms remains elusive, with NASA, a Naval airbase and the Federal Aviation Authority saying they aren't responsible.

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Zika Virus FAQs: Top Questions Answered

As the mosquito-borne Zika virus continues to infect people in a relentless wave, there is a worldwide rush to learn more about the disease.

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There's Science Behind that 'Jaws' Sighting (Op-Ed)

It was, by any measure, a giant and should be cause for celebration.

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Marriage Contract Signed by Napoleon Could Sell for $20,000

A marriage contract signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and his first wife, Josephine, will be available for auction — just in time for Valentine's Day.

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Great Wall of White: Epic Snowfall Visible from Space

A massive winter storm that slammed the U.S. East Coast last weekend dumped so much white stuff on the ground that the extensive snow cover was clearly visible from space.

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Can 3D Scans Save Cultural Sites From War?

In March 2001, the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, two of the tallest Buddha sculptures in the world. This forever changed the landscape of cultural preservation, archaeology and global heritage.

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Babylonians Tracked Jupiter with Fancy Math, Tablet Reveals

For a text that may rewrite the history of mathematics, it looks rather sloppy. A small brown clay tablet that's scrawled with hasty cuneiform characters proves the ancient Babylonians used a complex geometrical model to calculate Jupiter's path.

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Limited Zika Virus Outbreaks 'Likely' in US

It's likely that the United States will face small outbreaks of Zika virus, but widespread transmission of the virus here is not expected, health officials said today.

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Octopuses Are Surprisingly Social — and Confrontational, Scientists Find

A new study reveals that octopuses frequently communicate with each other in challenging displays that include posturing and changing color.

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Challenger Disaster 30 Years Ago Shocked the World, Changed NASA

Thirty years ago today, NASA suffered a spaceflight tragedy that stunned the world and changed the agency forever. NASA astronauts had died on the job before, but the Challenger disaster was something different altogether.

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Octopus Argue Through Body Patterns And Postures | Video

Long thought to be solitary predators, octopuses actually have social lives, ‘debating’ with each other by "standing very tall, raising the body mantle high above the eyes, and turning very dark," according to David Scheel.

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Zika Virus - What You Need To Know | Video

The World Health Organization explains symptoms, treatments and how to prevent the mosquito-transmitted virus from affecting you. The virus has been alarmingly spreading across the Americas.

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Wildfires Are Burning Some of the World’s Oldest Trees

Tasmania's rainforest is burning up in the wake of its most severe two-year drought on record.

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Decapitated Gladiators Reveal Roman Empire's Genetic Influence

The headless skeletons of young males discovered in York, England, likely belonged to gladiators. In addition to the violent injuries, the men experienced infections and stress as children, a DNA analysis suggests.

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Photos: Headless Roman Gladiator Skeletons Identified

The headless skeletons of men who were likely gladiators in life were found in a cemetery in York. Analyses of the bones has revealed much about the lives of these young men. Here's a look at the decapitated bodies and excavation.

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Autism App? iPhone Tool Could One Day Spot the Disorder

An app that can study people's facial expressions and emotional responses could one day be helpful in detecting autism signs in children, new research found.

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Zika Virus: Symptoms, Risk, Treatment & Prevention

The Zika virus is spread by bites of infected mosquitoes. It can be particularly dangerous to fetuses and newborns.

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What Is Faraday’s Law of Induction?

Faraday’s Law of Induction describes how an electric current produces a magnetic field and, conversely, how a changing magnetic field generates an electric current in a conductor.

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Ice-Age Mammoth Bones Found Under Oregon Football Field

Oregon State University might want to consider changing its mascot after a monumental find yesterday: The discovery of bones belonging to an ice-age mammoth within throwing distance of its football field.

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3-Stage Model Could Help Explain and Treat Addiction

Scientists are investigating how addiction affects the brain.

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Important First-Aid Move: What to Do If a Child Loses Consciousness

Do you know what to do if a child passes out?

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Statues of Greek Gods Unearthed in Crete

The sculptures date to the first or second century AD and stand at around 21 inches in height.

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Tombs of Ancient Rabbis Possibly Discovered in Galilee

Archaeologists surveying an ancient cemetery in Israel say they have discovered 1,700-year-old inscriptions in stone that may mark the burial place of elite rabbis.

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Stroke Under 45? Don’t Avoid Finding Out! | Video

A staggering 73% of young adults surveyed said they would put off going to the hospital, but would wait to see if they felt better.

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Bad Rap: Why B.o.B Is Wrong About a Flat Earth

A throwdown between a rapper and an astrophysicist centers on whether the Earth is a sphere, a scientific question that was supposedly settled in the third century B.C. Here's how we know it's a sphere.

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'Schizophrenia Gene' Discovery Sheds Light on Possible Cause

Researchers have identified a gene that increases the risk of schizophrenia, and they say they have a plausible theory as to how this gene may cause the devastating mental illness.

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Wearable Sweat Sensors Could Track Your Health

In the future, there may be a less invasive way than blood tests to obtain valuable information about a person's health: wearable sensors that use human sweat to look for signs of disease.

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Artificial Intelligence Beats 'Most Complex Game Devised by Humans'

An artificial intelligence system has used "deep learning" to defeat a professional Go player, solving one of the landmark challenges in AI.

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Sweat Sensors Can Sniff Your Health | Video

UC Berkeley engineers are building small, portable, wearable devices that can monitor levels of sodium, potassium, lactate and glucose within sweat on a user's skin.

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The Real 'X-Files'? CIA Reveals Weirdest UFO Stories

The CIA recently released some of its older documents on unidentified flying objects.

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Young Women's Cancer Risk Linked to Tanning Beds

Young women who use tanning beds or booths have up to a sixfold increase in their likelihood of developing melanoma, a new study found.

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How to Tell If Conspiracy Theories Are Real: Here's the Math

A physicist uses math to take on some of the biggest scientific conspiracy theories, including the myth that the moon landing was faked and that human-caused climate change is not real. If these conspiracies were real they would've been uncovered by now.

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As Zika Virus Rises, Vaccine Development Gets Attention

What are scientists planning to use to fight the Zika virus?

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Some Antibiotics May Change Gut Bacteria in Kids

Antibiotics called macrolides may change children's gut bacteria, a new study finds.

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Doomsday Clock Stuck At 3 Minutes to Midnight

The global "Doomsday Clock," which shows how close humans are to global catastrophe, is set to 3 minutes to midnight

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Moderate Drinkers Less Depressed Than Teetotalers, Poll Finds

Is alcohol a mood booster?

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1-in-a-Million Odds Link Global Warming and Record Heat

Mother Nature can't take the blame for the recent string of record-breaking heat waves, a new study finds.

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Mom Genes: This Cockroach Species' Live Births Are in Its DNA

The beetle mimic cockroach gives live birth, and one researcher from the University of Cincinnati figured out what was happening on the genetic level.

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All US Adults Should Be Screened for Depression, Panel Recommends

Should you be screened for depression? Here's new advice.

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Don't Blame 'Planet Nine' for Earth's Mass Extinctions

The newly proposed "Planet Nine" probably could not have triggered the comet impacts that some researchers think may be responsible for many of Earth's mass extinction events over the eons, astronomers say.

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11 Body Parts Grown in the Lab

Re-growing lost organs or body parts is beyond the scope of human biology. But in recent years, scientists have successfully cultivated a range of miniature organs and human body parts in laboratories.

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Explorer's Death Highlights Dangers of Antarctica

Despite the advent of new communications and support technology, going it alone in Antarctica is still an incredibly dangerous risk, one expert says.

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New Foldable Battery Takes Cue from Chinese Calligraphy

Scientists in China have developed a flexible, rollable, foldable battery inspired by traditional Chinese calligraphy involving ink on paper.

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Burning Love: Cold-Blooded Lizards Heat Up to Mate

Tegu lizards burn hotter than the average lizard when it's time to create the next generation.

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Gopher Snake Facts

Gopher snakes are nonvenomous serpents that are often mistaken for rattlesnakes.

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Omnivores: Facts About Flexible Eaters

Omnivores are the most flexible eaters of the animal kingdom; they eat both plants and meat.

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Shapeshifting '4D-printed' Structures Mimic Plant Movement | Video

These structures can imitate the way in which orchids, calla lilies and other plants bend and twist. This technology could one day help scientists heal wounds or be used in developing robotic surgical tools.

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Animal 'Selfies' Reveal Amazing Biodiversity in Tropical Forests

A network of motion-activated cameras monitored by conservationists is capturing millions of photos of unsuspecting wildlife, helping scientists to glimpse the big picture of worldwide biodiversity in protected areas.

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Photos: Hidden Cameras Find Diverse Animals in Tropical Forests

Camera trap images represent birds and ground-dwelling mammals living in highly diverse ecosystems in protected areas.

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'4D-Printed' Objects Change Shape After They're Made

By mimicking the way orchids, calla lilies and other plants bend and twist, scientists have created shape-shifting "4D-printed" structures that they say could one day help heal wounds and be used in robotic surgical tools.

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'Behemoth' Daddy Longlegs Discovered in Oregon

A new species of daddy longlegs has been unearthed lurking on the forest floor in the mountains of Oregon, and it’s a relative beast compared to its close cousins.

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Five Causes Account for Nearly Half of Children, Teens' Deaths

These are the most common causes of death for children and teens around the world.

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Camera Traps Find Wildlife Faring Well In Protected Forests | Video

Researchers monitored the populations of 244 species in 15 forests in several counties. The study found that some species were actually increasing in population. Over 2 million images were taken, some shown here of the various species.

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Blizzard at the Zoo: Giant Panda Plays in the Snow (Video)

Tian Tian, the Smithsonian National Zoo's male giant panda, seemed delighted with the blizzard over the weekend, rolling around in the snow with giddy abandon.

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What Are the Odds? Temperature Records Keep Falling (Op-Ed)

The odds of year-on-year record warming is 1 in 1,500 — can this really just be chance?

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Deadly Math: Venus Flytraps Calculate When Killing Prey

A new study found that Venus flytraps track the touches of their prey, holding back after first contact to make sure that there's definitely something tasty to nab.

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Can Your BMI Predict How Long You'll Live?

Many people would face the lowest risk of dying if their BMI was 26 -- which is considered overweight, new research suggests.

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Color-Morphing Clams Could Inspire New Smartphone & TV Screens

Iridescent cells in the flesh of giant clams could one day help scientists design more efficient solar panels, and television and smartphone screens that are easier on the eyes, researchers say.

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Carnivore: Facts About Meat Eaters

A carnivore is an animal or plant that eats the flesh of animals.

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Winter Storm Views from Space: See the Latest Satellite Images

NASA and NOAA have their satellite eyes on the powerful winter storm bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast this weekend, with the latest views showing the storm's growth and progress through the afternoon.

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Star Cluster Sparkles Like Jewels in Hubble Telescope View (Photo, Video)

The new Hubble image depicts the star cluster Trumpler 14, a collection of about 2,000 young stars that lies 8,000 light-years from Earth, near the center of the Carina Nebula.

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Bad Omen: How Full Moon Could Worsen Looming Storm Jonas

Can a full moon make a winter storm even worse? Yes, scientists say. Here's how.

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Medical Marijuana May Reduce Frequency of Migraines

Migraine sufferers might benefit from using medical marijuana -- a new study shows the drug might lead to fewer of the painful headaches, a new study suggests.

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Winter Storm Photos: Watch Jonas Wallop the Eastern US

Eyes on the ground and above are capturing the immense size and intensity of the winter storm that is currently walloping the Eastern U.S. Here's a look at those images.

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2/3 of Young Adults Would Make the Wrong Decision About Stroke Symptoms

Most people under age 45 would not go to the hospital if they were experiencing stroke symptoms.

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Migrating Storks Can't Resist a Garbage Dump Feast

Garbage dumps may be such attractive pit stops for some storks that they shorten their migration routes to pay a visit, a new study suggests.

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US Military Wants Smaller and More Stable Atomic Clocks

The U.S. military wants you … to design a better atomic clock.

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Sorry, E.T.: The Aliens May All Be Dead

It might be easy for life to evolve throughout the universe, but very hard for it to get any kind of a foothold, a new study suggests. This could be the answer to the famous Fermi Paradox, which in its simplest form asks, "Where is everybody?"

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How Holograms Could Aid Alien Life Hunt

Scientists have detected microbes in Greenland sea ice using a specially built digital holographic microscope, suggesting that the instrument could have similar success on icy moons in the outer solar system, if any of them harbor life.

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Venus Fly-Trap’s Countdown To Bug-Consumption Caught On Video

Venus Fly-Trap plants (Dionaea muscipula) have hairy fibers to sense insect motion. The more the hairs a bug touches, the higher the likelihood the plant will eat the bug.

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Spider Shows Off His Big Paddle to Woo Mates

A new spider species wiggles its enormous paddle appendage in order to woo mates, research reveals.

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Fossilized Eyeballs Reveal Crustacean Had Incredibly Complex Sight

A mysterious 160-million-year-old crustacean had incredibly complex eyes similar to those of modern arthropods, a new study finds.

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Walrus's Runny Nose Had Surprising Source (It Wasn't the Common Cold)

Veterinarians had to get creative to investigate the cause of a walrus's runny nose.

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Sick Siku: Photos of a Runny-Nosed Walrus

A runny-nosed female walrus at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom had veterinarians concerned that she was suffering from more than just a common cold. As it turned out, the 22-year-old walrus, named Siku, was suffering from a parasitic infection.

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Herbivores: Facts About Plant Eaters

An herbivore is an animal or insect that only eats vegetation, such as grasses, fruits, leaves, vegetables, roots and bulbs.

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What's Cookin'? Earth, Basically. But It's Not El Niño's Fault

Global average temperatures in 2015 broke records, but a strong El Niño was only part of the story.

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Ticks That Can Carry Lyme Disease Are Spreading Across the US

Experts created the first national survey of Lyme-disease-carrying-tick distribution in decades, and found that the ticks are ranging farther north than before, and are now living in nearly 50 percent of all U.S. counties.

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What Is Prediabetes? New Quiz Reveals Your Risk

By taking a 1-minute quiz, you can find out if you're at risk for prediabetes. The quiz is part of a new public service campaign.

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Shocking! 'Electric Eel' Fibers Could Power Wearable Tech

A new fiber that mimics the electricity-producing cells in electric eels could be woven into clothing to power wearable devices.

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NASA Sees Massive Winter Storm Moving East

A satellite image shows a developing winter storm moving east toward the mid-Atlantic states.

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Hiding in Plain Sight: 24 New Beetle Species Discovered in Australia

Lying among beetle specimens in museum collections across Australia was a treasure trove of unidentified weevils. Most had been collected almost 30 years ago and remained unnamed until scientists started cataloging them and stumbled across 24 new species.

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Man Gets 20-Foot Tapeworm from Eating Raw Meat

The worm lurked in the man's intestines for two years.

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SnOMG! Developing Blizzard Seen From Space | Time-Lapse Video

A winter storm seems poised to wallop the East Coast of the United States during the weekend of Jan 22-24. NASA's Goes-East satellite has been monitoring its progress.

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Apple's 'Night Shift' Mode: How Smartphones Disrupt Sleep

Apple's forthcoming iOS update promises to incorporate a feature called Night Shift that could help people sleep better. But what is it about smartphones that can mess with our slumber?

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'Planet Nine' May Exist: New Evidence for Another World in Our Solar System

Scientists have found evidence of a true ninth planet in our solar system. Nicknamed "Planet Nine," the real-life Planet X appears to have the mass of 10 Earths and is 20 times farther from the sun than Neptune.

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Sexy Signal? Frill and Horns May Have Helped Dinosaur Communicate

The fancy frill and cheek horns that adorned the head of a triceratops relative may have helped the dinosaur communicate, possibly acting as a social or sexy signal, a new study suggests.

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Even Centenarians Are Living Longer

The oldest of the old are living even longer, a new report shows.

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Parents' Financial Debt Linked to Behavioral Problems in Their Kids

Kids whose parents have "unsecured debt" may have more behavior problems, a new study finds.

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Long-Term Opioid Use Linked to Depression

People who use opioid medicines for pain may face a higher risk of depression, a new study finds.

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Eating Healthy Fats May Reduce Deaths from Heart Disease

To prevent heart disease deaths, people may want to focus more on eating more unsaturated fat, rather than eating less saturated fat, a new study suggests.

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Watch Earth Get Hotter - 135 Years Of Temperature Changes Visualized

Worldwide temperature data from 1880 - 2015 has here been color-mapped and animated. 2015 – the warmest year for which scientists have data – beats 2014 (the previous record-holder) by .23 degrees Fahrenheit (0.13 Celsius).

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Mini T. Rex: 'Welsh Dragon' May Be Earliest Jurassic Dinosaur

Two brothers hunting for ichthyosaur fossils along the coast of the United Kingdom came across something far more astounding: The bones of what may be the earliest known dinosaur from the Jurassic period in the U.K., and possibly even the world.

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Planet X May Be Real - Evidence Mounting For 9th Planet | Video

A possible planet – larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune – orbiting the Sun once every 15,000 years, could explain the peculiar clumping of Kuiper Belt Objects in our solar system.

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Metal 'Snow' May Power Earth's Magnetic Field

The power source for Earth's magnetic field may be magnesium minerals trapped in the core since our planet's violent birth.

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10,000-Year-Old Battered Bones May Be Oldest Evidence of Human Warfare

The oldest known evidence of human warfare has been unearthed in Kenya, suggesting that warfare is an ancient part of the human repertoire.

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Photos: The Oldest Known Evidence of Warfare Unearthed

The oldest known evidence of human warfare has been unearthed in Kenya, suggesting warfare is an ancient part of the human repertoire.

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2015 Shatters Hottest Year Record, But 2016 Could Rival It

2015 blew away the competition for record heat, besting 2014 by widest margin on record.

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Antarctic Explorer Shackleton Hindered by Heart Defect, Docs Say

Famous antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton may have had a hole in his heart.

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New Seafloor Map Reveals Secrets of Ancient Continents' Shoving Match

Tectonic plates may have inched across the Earth’s surface to where they are now over billions of years. But they left behind traces of their movement under the sea in bumps and gashes that researchers can map.

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Racing Pigeons Fly Home Faster in Polluted Air, Scientists Find

China's frequently choking haze is providing an unexpected benefit to racing pigeons in one of the country's most polluted regions, helping the birds to navigate home faster.

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Effects of Global Warming

by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor  

The longer a drought lasts, the greater the risk of suicide for men in rural areas between 30 and 49 years of age. Credit: Drought via Shutterstock View full size image

Global warming is expected to have far-reaching, long-lasting and, in many cases, devastating consequences for planet Earth.
For some years, global warming, the gradual heating of Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere, was a topic of heated debate in the scientific community. Today, the overwhelming consensus of researchers is that global warming is real and is caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels that pump carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
A major report released Sept. 27, 2013, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that scientists are more certain than ever of the link between human activities and global warming. More than 197 international scientific organizations agree that global warming is real and has been caused by human action.


Additionally, global warming is having a measurable effect on the planet right now, in a variety of ways. "We can observe this happening in real time in many places. Ice is melting in both polar ice caps and mountain glaciers. Lakes around the world, including Lake Superior, are warming rapidly – in some cases faster than the surrounding environment. Animals are changing migration patterns and plants are changing the dates of activity (e.g., leaf-flush in spring to fall in autumn is longer)," Josef Werne, an associate professor in the department of geology and planetary science at the University of Pittsburgh, told Live Science.
Here is an in-depth look at these changes and more.

Increase in average temperatures and temperature extremes

One of the most immediate and obvious effects of global warming is the increase in temperatures around the world. The average global temperature has increased by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) over the past 100 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Since recordkeeping began in 1895, the hottest year on record for the 48 contiguous U.S. states was 2012. Worldwide, 2012 was also the 10th-warmest year on record, according to NOAA. And nine of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2000. According to NOAA, 2013 tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since 1880.
In 2014, some cities in the United States had the warmest summers on record, according to Scientific American. A report by the World Meteorological Organization released July 3, 2014, said that deaths from heat increased by more than 2,000 percent over the previous decade.

Extreme weather events

Extreme weather is an effect of global warming. While experiencing some of the hottest summers on record, much of the United States also has been experiencing colder than normal winters.
Changes in climate can cause the jet stream to migrate south, bringing with it cold, Arctic air. This is why some states can have a sudden cold snap or colder than normal winter, even during the long-term trend of global warming, Werne explained.
"Climate is by definition the long-term average of weather, over many years. One cold (or warm) year or season has little to do with overall climate. It is when those cold (or warm) years become more and more regular that we start to recognize it as a change in climate rather than simply an anomalous year of weather," he said.
Global warming may also lead to extreme weather other than cold or heat extremes. For example, hurricane formations will change. Though this is still a subject of active scientific research, current computer models of the atmosphere indicate that hurricanes are more likely to become less frequent on a global basis, though the hurricanes that do form may be more intense.
"And even if they become less frequent globally, hurricanes could still become more frequent in some particular areas," said atmospheric scientist Adam Sobel, author of "Storm Surge: Hurricane Sandy, Our Changing Climate, and Extreme Weather of the Past and Future" (HarperWave, 2014). "Additionally, scientists are confident that hurricanes will become more intense due to climate change."  This is because hurricanes get their energy from the temperature difference between the warm tropical ocean and the cold upper atmosphere. Global warming increases that temperature difference.
"Since the most damage by far comes from the most intense hurricanes — such as typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013 — this means that hurricanes could become overall more destructive," said Sobel, a Columbia University professor in the departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics.
Lightening is another weather feature that is being affected by global warming. According to a 2014 study, a 50 percent increase in the number of lightning strikes within the United States is expected by 2100 if global temperatures continue to rise. The researchers of the study found a 12 percent increase in lightning activity for every 1.8 degree F (1 degree C) of warming in the atmosphere.
The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (CEI) was established in 1996 to track extreme weather events. The number of extreme weather events that are among the most unusual in the historical record, according to the CEI, has been rising over the last four decades.
Scientists project that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, blizzards and rainstorms will continue to occur more often and with greater intensity due to global warming, according to Climate Central. Climate models forecast that global warming will cause climate patterns worldwide to experience significant changes. These changes will likely include major shifts in wind patterns, annual precipitation and seasonal temperatures variations.
In addition, because high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are likely to remain high for many years, these changes are expected to last for several decades or longer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the northeastern United States, for example, climate change is likely to bring increased annual rainfall, while in the Pacific Northwest, summer rainfall is expected to decrease.

IceBridge project sciencist Michael Studinger calls this photo a textbook example of a receding glacier, one that's shrinking in size. The dark, arc-shaped piles are terminal and lateral moraines, jumbled rock piles left behind as the glacier recedes. A small, frozen lake sits at the left-hand terminus of the glacier. Taken in Thomsen Land, northeast Greenland.
Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger

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Ice melt

Since 1970, the area of snow cover in the United States has steadily decreased, according to the EPA, and the average temperature of permafrost (soil that's at or below freezing temperature) has grown warmer.
One of the most dramatic effects of global warming is the reduction in Arctic sea ice: In 2012, scientists saw the smallest amount of Arctic ice cover ever recorded. Most analyses project that, within a matter of years, the Arctic Sea will be completely ice-free during the summer months.
Glacial retreat, too, is an obvious effect of global warming. Only 25 glaciers bigger than 25 acres are now found in Montana's Glacier National Park, where about 150 glaciers were once found, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A similar trend is seen in glacial areas worldwide.

Sea levels and ocean acidification

As ice melts, the ocean levels rise. In 2014, the World Meteorological Organization reported that sea level rise accelerated .12 inches (3 millimeters) per year on average worldwide. This is around double the average annual rise of .07 in (1.6 mm) in the 20th century.
Melting polar ice in the Arctic and Antarctic region, coupled with melting ice sheets and glaciers across Greenland, North America, South America, Europe and Asia, are expected to raise sea levels significantly. And humans are mostly to blame: In the IPCC report released on Sept. 27, 2013, climate scientists said they are at least 95 percent certain that humans are to blame for warming oceans, rapidly melting ice and rising sea levels, changes that have been observed since the 1950s.
Global sea levels have risen about 8 inches since 1870, according to the EPA, and the rate of increase is expected to accelerate in the coming years. If current trends continue, many coastal areas, where roughly half of the Earth's human population lives, will be inundated.
Researchers project that by 2100, average sea levels will be 2.3 feet (.7 meters) higher in New York City, 2.9 feet (.88 m) higher at Hampton Roads, Va., and 3.5 feet (1.06 m) higher at Galveston, Texas, the EPA reports. According to an IPCC report, if greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, sea levels could rise by as much as 3 feet (0.9 meters) by 2100. That estimate is an increase from the estimated 0.9 to 2.7 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) that was predicted in the 2007 IPCC report for future sea level rise.
Sea level isn't the only thing changing for the oceans due to global warming. As levels of CO₂ increase, the oceans absorb some of that gas, which increases the acidity of seawater. Werne explains it this way: "When you dissolved CO₂ in water, you get carbonic acid. This is the same exact thing that happens in cans of soda. When you pop the top on a can of Dr Pepper, the pH is 2 — quite acidic."
Since the Industrial Revolution began in the early 1700s, the acidity of the oceans has increased about 25 percent, according to the EPA. "This is a problem in the oceans in large part because many marine organisms make shells out of calcium carbonate (think corals, oysters), and their shells dissolve in acid solution," said Werne.  "So as we add more and more CO₂ to the ocean, it gets more and more acidic, dissolving more and more shells of sea creatures. It goes without saying that this is not good for their health."
If current ocean acidification trends continue, coral reefs are expected to become increasingly rare in areas where they are now common, including most U.S. waters, the EPA reports.

Arctic sea ice at the end of melt season, 1981-2009
Credit: NSIDC

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Plants and animals

The effects of global warming on the Earth's ecosystems are expected to be profound and widespread. Many species of plants and animals are already moving their range northward or to higher altitudes as a result of warming temperatures, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences.
"They are not just moving north, they are moving from the equator toward the poles. They are quite simply following the range of comfortable temperatures, which is migrating to the poles as the global average temperature warms," Werne said. Ultimately, he said, this becomes a problem when the rate of climate change velocity (how fast a region changes put into a spatial term) is faster than the rate that many organisms can migrate. Because of this, many animals may not be able to compete in the new climate regime and may go extinct.
Additionally, migratory birds and insects are now arriving in their summer feeding and nesting grounds several days or weeks earlier than they did in the 20th century, according to the EPA.
Warmer temperatures will also expand the range of many disease-causing pathogens that were once confined to tropical and subtropical areas, killing off plant and animal species that formerly were protected from disease.
These and other effects of global warming, if left unchecked, will likely contribute to the disappearance of up to one-half of Earth's plants and one-third of animals from their current range by 2080, according to a 2013 report in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Social effects

As dramatic as the effects of climate change are expected to be on the natural world, the projected changes to human society may be even more devastating.
Agricultural systems will likely be dealt a crippling blow. Though growing seasons in some areas will expand, the combined impacts of drought, severe weather, lack of snowmelt, greater number and diversity of pests, lower groundwater tables and a loss of arable land could cause severe crop failures and livestock shortages worldwide.
North Carolina State University also notes that carbon dioxide is affecting plant growth. Though CO₂ can increase the growth of plants, the plants may become less nutritious.
In addition to less nutritious food, the effect of global warming on human health is also expected to be serious. The American Medical Association has reported an increase in mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, as well as a rise in cases of chronic conditions like asthma, are already occurring, most likely as a direct result of global warming.
This loss of food security may, in turn, create havoc in international food markets and could spark famines, food riots, political instability and civil unrest worldwide, according to a number of analyses from sources as diverse as the U.S Department of Defense, the Center for American Progress and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Many of these expected effects are the result of exhaustive scientific research and climate models, and the fact that most of them are already being observed gives additional credibility to the projected effects of global warming and climate change.
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