Environmental Graphiti® is a venture that uses art to dramatize the critical science of climate change in an effort to expand public awareness of this urgent issue.
ART makes the science more accessible. Science makes the art more meaningful. Together they tell the story of climate change in a unique and powerful way.
The art in this series is based on the compelling data that describes the various factors that have contributed to climate change over the last two hundred years. Click on image title to see graphic data source.
Gallery 2: How Is Climate Change Affecting Our World?
LinksTrends In Strength Of Hurricanes Impacting Us |
Climate change increases the impact, strength and intensity of hurricanes: warmer oceans increase hurricane strength and create more evaporation, which turns to vapor and results in heavier rains; rising sea levels enhance the effect of storm surges causing greater flooding; changes in Gulf Stream patterns are also believed to cause stalling of storms over land with unprecedented levels of rain. LARGE IMAGE
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Drought |
Climate change will affect the world’s future supply of water - severe seasonal drought is predicted in various parts of the South and Western United States. LARGE IMAGE
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Warning - The Many Plagues Of Climate Change |
The effects of climate change are far-reaching. Though global warming is an essential element of climate change, other significant impacts include intense heat waves, melting ice caps and glaciers, rising and acidified oceans, and increased risk of drought, famine, forest fires, powerful storms, flooding, vector-borne diseases, species extinction and detrimental impacts to human health. LARGE IMAGE
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Great Lakes Ice Cover Decline |
The average annual ice coverage for the Great Lakes during 2003-2013 was less than 43% of the coverage over the prior half-century, lower than any other decade during the period of measurement. Less ice, together with more frequent and intense storms, leaves shoreline vulnerable to increased risk of erosion and flooding. LARGE IMAGE
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Fire |
| Every 2 degees (Farenheit) rise in temperature means a 200% to 400% increased risk of forest and other wildfires. In 2015 more than 10 million acres were burned - an area larger than the State of Maryland. According to the New York Times (September 22, 2015), climate change has lengthened fire seasons in the U.S. by an average of 78 days since 1970, and the six worst fire seasons in the last 50 years have occurred since 2000. The catastrophic Santa Rosa wildfires of 2017 were preceded by the hottest summer in more than a century, drying out vegetation, followed by heavy rains which added more brush and grassland to burn. LARGE IMAGE |
Heat |
Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere leading to rising global temperatures, melting of land and sea ice, rising oceans, devastating heat waves, floods and more. LARGE IMAGE
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Sea Level Rise |
Warming seas and melting ice have caused Global Mean Sea Levels (GMSL) to rise 7-8 inches since 1900. An additional rise of 1 to 4 feet is likely, and up to 8 feet possible, by 2100. Sea levels will be higher than the global average for US Eastern and Gulf Coasts. "Human-caused climate change has made a substantial contribution to GMSL rise since 1900 ..., contributing to a rate of rise that is greater than during any preceding century in at least 2,800 years." LARGE IMAGE
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Seasonal Global Temperature Cycles 1880-2017 |
According to a monthly analysis prepared by NASA scientists, April 2016 was the hottest in 137 years of record-keeping, and April 2017 was the second warmest. This graph shows the month-to-month, year-to-year global temperature patterns over seasonal cycles from 1880-2017. LARGE IMAGE
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Melting Of Arctic Land-Based Ice |
Increasing temperatures over the last two decades have cause the melting of mountain glaciers, small ice caps and the Greenland ice sheet. The future rate of melting of land-based ice is a significant factor in determining the amount of future sea level rise. LARGE IMAGE
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Hotter Summers |
The above graphs show the deviation from mean summer temperatures from the period 1951-2013. The green dotted line represents the average temperature range in summer from 1951-1980, the base measurement period. The significant warming shifts occurred, remarkably, during the lifetime of the typical baby boomer. This trend has continued since 2013. LARGE IMAGE
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Vulnerability To Sea Level Rise |
Rising sea levels put various areas across the globe, as well as along the U.S. coastline, at risk for serious flooding, permanent loss of land and other impacts. LARGE IMAGE
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Ocean Heat |
Our oceans have absorbed much of the heat produced by increasing CO2 levels. Thermal expansion from increased temperatures accounts for about 40% of the global sea-level rise observed over the last 60 years. 2016 average sea-surface temperatures were the warmest on record. Warmer temperatures contributed to significant coral bleaching, causing the loss of corals supporting thousands of species of marine life. Fish species migrating to cooler waters have disrupted fishing villages and commercial fisheries. LARGE IMAGE
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Extreme Precipitation |
Since the 1980's intense, single-day events have represented a larger percentage of precipitation, with 8 of the top 10 such years occurring since 1990. The total amount of land area experiencing higher levels of annual precipitation has also significantly increased during this period. LARGE IMAGE
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Projected Arctic Sea Ice Decline |
Model simulations project an essentially ice-free Arctic summer before mid-century. LARGE IMAGE
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Longer Frost-Free Season In Southwest Stresses Crops |
The number of frost-free days in the Southwest growing season has increased significantly since the 1980's which, together with more frequent heatwaves, drought, and fewer outbreaks of cold, accelerates crop ripening, reduces yields, increases water consumption and stresses livestock. California produces about 95% of the U.S. supply of various fruits and nuts. The changing climate conditions are likely to reduce yields of many crops and negatively affect the region's economy. LARGE IMAGE
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2 Feet |
Global sea levels have been rising since the late 1800's. An additional rise of 1-4 feet is considered likely by 2100, and some models project higher levels. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sea level rise will have a greater impact in certain areas, depending on pre-existing conditions. For example, a conservative estimated rise of 2 feet would result in a relative rise of 2.9 feet at Hampton Roads, Virginia, and 3.5 feet at Galveston, Texas. Other U.S. cities like Miami and New Orleans, face similar disproportionate risks. LARGE IMAGE
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Current And Projected Arctic Conditions |
Both the Arctic and Antarctic are projected to lose sea ice, but various models project the summer Arctic polar ice cap will disappear almost entirely in the latter part of the 21st century. LARGE IMAGE
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