What is Climate?

This section defines and discusses climate and how scientists estimate climatic conditions from many years ago.

• NOAA, August 2012 Global Climate Update
• Weather Underground, an online resource for current and historical weather data.
• UW Limnology Dept. - Lake Mendota Ice Data Since 1852
• NOAA - Arctic Sea Ice Getting Thinner, Younger
• USDA Wisconsin Plant Hardiness Zones - Plant hardiness zones are used to select perennials, landscape plantings and fruit trees that will survive over winter in your location.
• CO2 levels in the atmosphere over time
• The Arbor Day Foundation's animation illustrates the general warming that has occurred from 1990 to 2006 as indicated by changes in plant hardiness zones.
• Historic global weather data studies from the mid-1850s, in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 2000 years, and globally for the past 425,000 years.
• Global Climate Change National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center.

• Earth's Changing Climate Visuals
• NOVA : Stories in the Ice - Information on what ice cores can tell us about our climate throughout history.
• Estreme Ice Survey - EIS uses time-lapse photography, conventional photography, and video to document the rapid changes now occurring on the Earth's glacial ice.
• Nova Special - Extreme Ice

Back to Climate Change Guide.