NASA Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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NASA Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Link http://climate.nasa.gov/
Climate Change Yes
Human Cause Yes
Author(s) NASA
Affiliation NASA
Sponsors NASA
Date 2012/04/22
Introduction Organization Position Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect"
Description The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years.Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. Studying these climate data collected over many years reveal the signals of a changing climate.