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Tag: Climate

Climate is explained in this collection of accurate, accessible science graphics, designed to make understanding the Earth’s climate system clear and engaging. These visuals cover atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, greenhouse effects, and climate change, helping to show how natural processes and human activities shape weather and long-term climate patterns. Ideal for educators, students, and science enthusiasts, this climate graphic collection turns complex environmental concepts into visually rich, easy-to-grasp resources for teaching and learning about Earth’s dynamic climate.

Sea surface temperature (2023)

Animated global map of the monthly average temperature of the top millimetre of the ocean’s surface throughout the year 2023.

Animated global map of the monthly average temperature of the top millimetre of the ocean’s surface throughout the year 2023. Sea surface temperature influences weather, including hurricanes, as well as plants and animals in the ocean. The sea surface tends to be warmer near the equator and colder near the poles and influenced by large currents moving warm and cold water around the planet. Some of these currents flow along the surface and are therefore visible in these sea surface temperature images. The underlying data is derived by satellite measurements (i.e., MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite). The Scientific colour map ‘glasgow‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

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Sea surface temperature (2023, July)

Global maps of the monthly average temperature of the top millimetre of the ocean’s surface for July 2023.

Global maps of the monthly average temperature of the top millimetre of the ocean’s surface for July 2023. Sea surface temperature influences weather, including hurricanes, as well as plants and animals in the ocean. The sea surface tends to be warmer near the equator and colder near the poles and influenced by large currents moving warm and cold water around the planet. Some of these currents flow along the surface and are therefore visible in these sea surface temperature images. The underlying data is derived by satellite measurements (i.e., MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite). The Scientific colour map ‘glasgow‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

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Global monthly precipitation (2022)

Amount of monthly accumulated precipitation for global land surfaces animated for the year 2022.

Amount of monthly accumulated precipitation for global land surfaces animated for the year 2022. Data is openly shared by TerraClimate: WorldClim v2.0 (2.5m), CRU Ts4.0, JRA-55. The Scientific colour map ‘navia‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

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Global precipitation climatology

Global map of the the average amount of precipitation that falls in the world each year.

Global map of the the average amount of precipitation that falls in the world each year. These long-term averages can be compared to short-term precipitation events to see how much they deviate, which allows to quantify the severity of extreme precipitation events and droughts. Departures from the climatology are a key way of understanding our changing weather patterns. Data is based on NASA’s IMERG Grand Average Climatology and given in millimetres per year, spanning the time period between June 2000 and May 2019. The Scientific colour map ‘navia‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

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Climate change tipping points

Potential climate tipping points where rising global atmospheric temperatures could cause irreversible change to the Earth system.

Potential climate tipping points where rising global atmospheric temperatures could cause irreversible change to the Earth system. Irreversible ice sheet melting (such as on Greenland and Antarctica) is one example of a climate chance tipping point and would cause a significant sea level rise on the order of ten meters. Permafrost loss would cause an abrupt release of Greenhouse gases (methane and CO2), which amplifies global warming. Breakdown of the Atlantic thermohaline ocean circulation, known as Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), would cause regional cooling. A shift in Boreal forest would equal a significant ecological change and regional warming, whereas an Amazon rainforest dieback causes biodiversity loss and decreased rainfall. Changes in monsoon could lead to drought. A Coral reef die-off is a significant ecological change. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) could reach a permanent El Niño state, which would cause both more floods and droughts.

  • Creator: Fabio Crameri
  • This version: 21.08.2023
  • License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Specific citation: This graphic by Fabio Crameri based on Lenton et al. (2019) is available via the open-access s-ink.org repository.
  • Related reference: Lenton, T. M., Rockström, J., Gaffney, O., Rahmstorf, S., Richardson, K., Steffen, W., & Schellnhuber, H. J. (2019). Climate tipping points—too risky to bet against. Nature, 575(7784), 592-595.
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Atmospheric CO2 concentration art

No time to waste: Globally averaged concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere for the time period 803’719 BCE – today.

No time to waste: Globally averaged concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere for the time period 803’719 BCE – today. Not only the level of CO2 in the atmosphere matters, but also the rate at which it has changed: It took us a matter of decades to achieve larger changes than previous ones, which occurred over centuries or even thousands of years. This gives species, planetary systems, and ecosystems much less time to adapt. Artwork is based on the data visualisation from s-ink.org/atmospheric-co2-concentration.

  • Creators: Lucía Pérez Díaz and Fabio Crameri
  • This version: 23.03.2023
  • License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Specific citation: This artwork by Lucía Pérez Díaz and Fabio Crameri is available via the open-access s-Ink.org repository.
  • Related reference: Bereiter, B., Eggleston, S., Schmitt, J., Nehrbass‐Ahles, C., Stocker, T. F., Fischer, H., … & Chappellaz, J. (2015). Revision of the EPICA Dome C CO2 record from 800 to 600 kyr before present. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(2), 542-549.
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Atmospheric CO2 concentration

Globally averaged concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere for the time period 803’719 BCE – 2018.

Globally averaged concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere for the time period 803’719 BCE – 2018. Shown is data from Bereiter et al. (2015) and the concentration is measured in parts per million (ppm). The long-term global average atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have been combined using several sources, all available at the NOAA/ESRL Global Monitoring Division. Not only the level of CO2 in the atmosphere matters, but also the rate at which it has changed. It took us a matter of decades to achieve larger changes than previous ones, which occurred over centuries or even thousands of years. This gives species, planetary systems, and ecosystems much less time to adapt. The Scientific colour map ‘bilbao‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

  • Creator: Fabio Crameri
  • This version: 02.11.2021
  • License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Specific citation: This graphic by Fabio Crameri based on data compiled by Bereiter et al. (2015) is available via the open-access s-ink.org repository.
  • Related reference: Bereiter, B., Eggleston, S., Schmitt, J., Nehrbass‐Ahles, C., Stocker, T. F., Fischer, H., … & Chappellaz, J. (2015). Revision of the EPICA Dome C CO2 record from 800 to 600 kyr before present. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(2), 542-549.
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World countries CO2 emissions

The World’s countries’ CO2 emissions per capita and year, for the year 2018.

The World’s countries’ carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita and year, for the year 2018, driving climate change. Shown is the CAIT data, which is available on climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions. The Scientific colour map ‘bilbao‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

  • Creator: Fabio Crameri
  • This version: 01.11.2021
  • License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Specific citation: This graphic by Fabio Crameri based on CAIT data (Climate Watch, 2020) is available via the open-access s-Ink repository.
  • Related reference: Climate Watch, 2020, GHG Emissions, Washington, DC: World Resources Institute
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Annual global temperature change (artistic)

The annual global surface temperature anomalies relative to a 1961-1990 reference period as historically measured over time since the year 1850.

The annual global surface temperature anomalies relative to a 1961-1990 reference period as historically measured over time since the year 1850 based on the UK Met Office HadCRUT5.0 dataset (Morice et al.). The 3-D graph illustrates the rise in average temperatures and climate change. The Scientific colour map ‘vik‘ is used to represent data accurately and to all readers.

  • Creator: Fabio Crameri
  • This version: 21.09.2021
  • License: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Specific citation: This graphic by Fabio Crameri is available via the open-access s-Ink repository.
  • Related reference: Morice, C.P., J.J. Kennedy, N.A. Rayner, J.P. Winn, E. Hogan, R.E. Killick, R.J.H. Dunn, T.J. Osborn, P.D. Jones and I.R. Simpson (in press) An updated assessment of near-surface temperature change from 1850: the HadCRUT5 dataset. Journal of Geophysical Research (Atmospheres) doi:10.1029/2019JD032361
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