We now have the first continuous near real-time observations of how humans are increasing Earth’s greenhouse effect, developed by @NASA & university partners. The research directly demonstrates how human activities are responsible for changing the climate.
go.nasa.gov/3ck7PNf
In the long run, all planets balance the energy they receive and the energy they emit back to space. Most of the energy coming from the Sun is shortwave radiation, or visible light. Energy absorbed by Earth warms the planet and longer wave (heat) energy is emitted back to space.
Some light isn't absorbed by Earth because it is reflected by the atmosphere, particles, and clouds, or light colored surfaces. Some heat heading to space is trapped by clouds and the atmosphere and gets re-radiated back down — the greenhouse effect — causing more warming.
This study filters out variations in Earth’s energy budget due to feedback processes to show changes from aerosols (reflective particles in the atmosphere) & increases in the greenhouse effect caused by emissions of gases like carbon dioxide — the energy changes caused by humans.
Tracking these increases in radiative forcing — less & less energy escaping to space — not only reinforces the scientific conclusion that humans are driving climate change, it may enable monitoring the impact of emissions policies and refining model projections of future change.
The study was led from @NASAGoddard, with colleagues from @UMiamiRSMAS, @CICERO_klima, @SEELeeds, & @IIASAVienna, using CERES data from @NASA_Langley and AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO data from @NASAJPL.

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More from @NASAEarth

17 Feb
The #CountdownToMars is on! We can hardly believe that the @NASAPersevere rover is just ONE day from touching down in Jezero Crater. 🎉

No one has set foot in the crater, but we have some ideas of what to expect thanks to Lake Salda in #Turkey. 🚀

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmat…
Take a close look at photos of these four key features found near Lake Salda. The Perseverance team hopes to find similar features on Mars. 👀
1. Microbialites

Lake Salda has hydromagnesite sediments eroded from large mounds called “microbialites”—rocks formed with the help of microbes. It would be huge news, if Jezero Crater has microbialites as well.
Read 7 tweets
29 Jan
Earth is a big, weird place in space. There’s so much happening on this planet all at once that it’s easy to forget some minor details. We asked our friends here at @NASA — and we want to share with you — the facts about Earth that live rent free in our heads. Photo of the limb of Earth taken from a window in space
Earth has a solid inner core that is almost as hot as the surface of the Sun. Earth’s core gets as hot as 9,800 degrees Fahrenheit, while the surface of the Sun is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Right, @NASASun?
solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/…
solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/s… Image of the sunlit side of Earth from the Earth PolychromatImage of the Sun from the Solar Dynamics Observatory
Dust from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon rainforest. 27.7 million tons blow all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the rainforest each year, where it brings phosphorus -- a nutrient plants need to grow.
go.nasa.gov/3aiOtWP Satellite image of the sunlit side of Earth with dust visibl
Read 7 tweets
27 Jan
2020 was tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record, part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activity. @NASA works to monitor how our climate is changing — melting ice, warming temperatures, longer fire seasons, and more.
go.nasa.gov/2XDI6rh
Recent NASA research has shown how the warming ocean is melting glaciers in Greenland.
go.nasa.gov/3c4pdWO
Combined, Greenland and Antarctica are losing 318 gigatons of ice per year. As the ice melts into the ocean, sea levels rise globally.
go.nasa.gov/3cb0bCC
Over the last 35 years, fire seasons have been burning longer. In the United States, changes to the timing of snowmelt and precipitation — linked to climate change — contributed to the longer fire seasons.
go.nasa.gov/3pmxY2h
Read 4 tweets
14 Jan
Globally, 2020 was the hottest year on record, effectively tying 2016, the previous record. Overall, Earth’s average temperature has risen more than 2 degrees F since the 1880s. The effects of rising temperatures are felt around the world.
go.nasa.gov/3iakW5c
2020 was a year of extremes, with record-breaking hurricane and fire seasons. Higher surface temperatures and more heat in the climate system can fuel different extreme events, directly and indirectly, like increasing tropical storm intensity.
This year, we saw record-setting fires in Australia and the western U.S., after years of high temperature and drought set the stage. Smoke from fires in both regions reached so high into the atmosphere that it formed clouds.
go.nasa.gov/396zPBt
go.nasa.gov/33oxoqO Labeled satellite image of smoke from fires in CaliforniaLabeled satellite image of smoke from fires in Australia
Read 8 tweets
10 Nov 20
We know that as human activity warms the planet, global sea level is rising. We know that about 2/3 of sea level rise so far has come from melting ice. But how do we know this? We can measure it from space.
#SeeingTheSeas Visualization of sea level rise mapped around the planet on
Sea level isn’t uniform around the planet. Tides and currents, the density and temperature of water, and landforms can affect where the ocean piles up. We know this because we measure the shape of the ocean using radar altimetry.
go.nasa.gov/3n0EpGB Graph of sea level rise measurements from the tide gauge rec
Altimetry works by bouncing radio waves off the ocean surface and timing how quickly they return. Then comes the next challenge: Calculating the natural and seasonal changes in ocean height to determine how much more global warming has made seas rise.
Read 8 tweets
9 Nov 20
The effects of sea level rise come in many forms. During tropical storms, higher sea levels drive intense storm surges — water level much higher than normal tides. But with sea level rise, the tides themselves can cause flooding.

#SeeingTheSeas
During high-tide floods, water can make its way from the ocean onto land and bubble up from storm drains. In cities like Miami & Annapolis, high-tide flooding can close down streets & businesses, and damage infrastructure like pipes & wastewater systems.
go.nasa.gov/3eISZj9
Between 2000-2015, days with high-tide flooding doubled along the U.S. Northeast Atlantic coast, & that will likely keep climbing. Some locations could see high-tide flooding 180 days a year by 2050. From May '19 to April '20, Annapolis had a record 18 days of high-tide flooding.
Read 4 tweets

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