Putting the Nation on a Path for Climate Resilience and Preparedness: NOAA's Information and Expertise
Information seekers can turn to NOAA personnel on the ground to access and apply available information to specific questions and needs. NOAA provides a wide range of climate information through monthly, seasonal and decade forecasts and data tailored to the specific needs of different sectors. NOAA uses this same information to take direct action to increase the resilience and facilitate adaptation of the nation’s valuable marine and coastal resources and the people that depend on them.
Our climate is changing. We are seeing the impacts around the globe and in our own backyards, including:
- Warmer land and ocean temperatures;
- Sea level rise;
- Ocean acidification;
- Decreases in snow, glacier, and Arctic sea ice coverage;
- More frequent extreme weather events (i.e., heat waves, heavy downpours);
- Longer growing seasons; and
- Shifts in the ranges of plant, animal, and fish species, and the habitats that support them.
These impacts pose significant risk to communities, industries, and government in the short‐ and longterm. The cost of inaction will likely be more significant than the cost of taking steps now to prepare for extreme events in the coming years and to plan for resilience in the long term.
NOAA has produced a high-level overview of NOAA's climate activities across the nation that outlines climate information and expertise pertaining to long-term resilience, increasing resilience and preparedness, and accessing expertise. View the document here.
