Cutting Edge > Topics > Climate Change > Visualizations > Process of Anthropogenic Climate Change

Process of Anthropogenic Climate Change

Compiled by Monica Bruckner at SERC.

Find animations, videos, pictures, and diagrams about human influences on climate, including how the greenhouse effect works, emissions data, and recent climate curves (i.e. the hockey stick curve).


Greenhouse Gases, Emissions, and the Greenhouse Effect

Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions (more info) The world's countries contribute different amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. This table shows data compiled by the Department of Energy, which estimates CO2 emissions from all sources of fossil fuel burning and consumption. The top 20 countries with the highest CO2 emmisions are listed (data from 2006) and a [link 'graph of the top 20 CO2 emitters'] is also available. The next update is scheduled for August 2009.


Gapminder World CO2 Emissions per Capita Charts and Maps (more info) This website allows users to chart CO2 emissions (and other environmental variables) through time. The link is defaulted to a graph of the amount of CO2 emitted for every dollar of GDP vs. Total CO2 emissions in 2001, but users can define different axes data and dates.

Revolutionary CO2 maps zoom in on greenhouse gas sources (more info) A high resolution, interactive map of United States carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has found that the emissions aren't all where we thought. The maps and system, called Vulcan, show CO2 emissions at more than 100 times more detail than was available before. Until now, data on carbon dioxide emissions were reported, in the best cases, monthly at the level of an entire state grid. The Vulcan model examines CO2 emissions at local levels on an hourly basis. Purdue researchers say the maps are also more accurate than previous data because they are based on greenhouse gas emissions instead of estimates based on population in areas of the United States.

General Information and Collections

IPCC Graphics (more info) A collection of graphics that have been created by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

IPCC Vital Climate Graphics (more info) Compiled from the second IPCC assessment report, these graphics include causes of climate change and projected impacts such as temperature changes and sea level rise. The figures are browseable by title.

Global Warming Art (more info) Over 130 different images, graphs and photos describing various elements of climate change. Each image has a description, citation and information for reuse.

Global Climate Change Exploratorium (more info) This site, funded by NSF, is the home page for the Global Climate Change research explorer. Multicolor tabs at the top of the page link to further information and visualizations (graphs, charts, pictures, etc.) for climate change resources in each of the Earth's spheres, including: atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, and global effects of climate change.

The Biodiversity: Climate Change (more info) This step-by-step slide show animation, from the International Polar Foundation, deals with the topics of biodiversity and climate change. It lays out the main effects of climate change, i.e. the strengthening of the natural greenhouse effect phenomenon that has been caused by our way of life, and the unprecedented speeding up of rises in temperature compared with the natural periods of warming that have occurred in the past. It also looks at the main consequences of these changes.

National Geographic Map Simulation of Global Warming Effects (more info) This interactive map shows what global environmental problems can arise based on the 2001 IPCC report on climate change. Users can see which problems affect different areas and can click on these areas for more information.

NASA Climate Change Resource Reel (more info) This collection of resources from NASA includes animations and still shots covering a wide range of topics in climate, including the cryosphere, ocean sciences, changes on land, the atmosphere, and satellite images.

Tour of the Cryosphere (more info) This 7-minute animation leads viewers across the icy reaches of Antarctica, the shrinking ice cap around the North Pole, and other frozen, terrestrial regions of the globe. It conveys the interconnectedness of the cryosphere and impact of climate change on the Earth system.

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