Update: Carbon Dioxide Concentration
This vital sign now displays data with the annual seasonal carbon dioxide (CO₂) cycle, giving us a more accurate picture of the atmosphere's CO₂ concentration at any given time. This update brings August's global average atmospheric CO₂ to about 420 parts per million (ppm), a 50% increase since 1750. This rise is mainly due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels.

NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising
Scientists using space-based radar found that land in New York City is sinking at varying rates from human and natural factors. A few spots are rising.

Water-Watching Satellite Monitors Warming Ocean off California Coast
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is able to measure ocean features, like El Niño, closer to a coastline than previous space-based missions.

NASA-Built Greenhouse Gas Detector Moves Closer to Launch
The instrument will enable nonprofit organization Carbon Mapper to pinpoint and measure methane and carbon dioxide sources from space.

New: Summer 2023 Record High Global Temperatures
A new visualization shows monthly temperature anomalies (changes from an average) from summer 1880 to August 2023 compared to NASA's 1951-1980 temperature baseline average.

New: Extreme Weather and Climate Change
As the climate changes, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are increasing. Get an overview of these consequences of global warming.

Images of Change: Ice Melt Accelerates in Southern Greenland
Satellite images show a stark surface color change between mid-June and late-July as Greenland’s ice began its summer melt, which has been well above the average over the past 30 years.

Images of Change: Tornado Carves Path Through Wynne, Arkansas
On March 31, 2023, severe thunderstorms spawned tornadoes across seven states, including an EF-3 tornado that struck an Arkansas town, carving a 73-mile path before dissipating near Burlison, TN. Visit our gallery to see how the path looks from space.

Images of Change: Tropical Cyclone Freddy Floods Parts of Malawi
On March 11, 2023, a tropical cyclone reached land and dumped six months' worth of rain over a southeastern African region in six days. This led to floods along the Shire and Ruo rivers near Makhanga, destroying crops. The damaged crops can still be seen from space; visit the link above to view the changes.

NASA's Global Climate Change website is produced by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech. To learn more, visit our website at

› climate.nasa.gov