Our Changing Climate: Shifting zones and NASA's treasure trove

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality Program

Catching up on some recent interesting climate change news...

Shifting climate zones

First, here are a couple of articles on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s updated plant hardiness map – one from USA TODAY, the other from the Associated Press.

The new map uses 30 years of weather data gathered from 1976 to 2005 and is more precise than the 1990 version, showing smaller areas and accounting for higher elevations and bodies of water that can influence temperature.

Essentially, the map shows climate zones are shifting. Here’s a link to it.

News from NASA

Check out the news archive on NASA’s climate change website. It offers a treasure trove of interesting information on climate issues.

For example, scroll down to the entry that talks about 2011 being the ninth-warmest year on record. It contains a video with a neat time-lapse view of changing global temperatures over the past 100-plus years.

Other highlights include clouds that are lowering, concerns about deteriorating coral reefs, and the mapping of Earth’s trees. Give it a look.

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