Scientists are analyzing data to understand how the climate is changing and to predict how that change will affect the planet’s ecosystems, humans, and wildlife. They use a wide range of techniques, from sampling ice cores to tracking greenhouse gases in the air to modeling ocean currents and forest ecosystems. Climate research often combines information from many disciplines, such as atmospheric science, geophysics, and geology, to provide a holistic view of how Earth’s climate systems work together.
The field of climate research is a relatively new one, emerging in the second half of the twentieth century. It is distinct from the earlier discipline of climatology, which existed from at least the late nineteenth century (and may have originated much earlier).
Climate researchers analyze the past by studying the records left behind in ice cores, tree rings, and sediments. They also investigate the present by comparing the results of computer models to actual observations. These models are mathematical representations of the climate system; they can be used to estimate internal variability and to detect patterns in observed data. They can also be used to project future changes, but these predictions are subject to large uncertainties.
The international scientific community has come to a strong consensus that the warming trend we are witnessing is unequivocal and mostly due to human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases. The complexity of the climate system, however, makes it challenging to fully understand how this warming will impact different ecosystems and humans.