Global Warming Photographs

Below is a collection of photographs illustrating many of the points on the Global Warming Early Warning Signs map. Gary Braasch, who documents climate change through photography, provided us with these photographs. Many more examples of his work can be found on his web site, World View of Global Warming, http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org.

Map Point 10 Florida Melbourne endured 24 days above 95°F (35°C); nighttime temperatures in Tampa remained above 80°F (26.6°C) for 12 days. Photo: Dry lake during drought in Orlando Florida.

Map Point 20 United Kingdom Toads, frogs, and newts spawning early. Spawning was 9 to 10 days earlier over a 17-year period. Photo: The common frog Rana edulis is one of the species that have been shown to be mating several weeks earlier.

Map Point 21 United Kingdom Birds laying eggs early. From 1971 to 1995, 31 percent of 65 bird species studied in England showed significant trends towards earlier egg laying, moving up the date by an average of 8.8 days. Photo: Dr. Andrew Gosler, Oxford University, checking nest boxes of Great Tits. Studies of these birds have showed significant trends towards earlier egg laying.

Map Point 22 Southern England Early leafing of oak trees. The four earliest leafing dates occurred in the past decade, a response to increasing temperatures during January to March over the past 41 years. Photo: Early blooming Quercus robur.

Map Point 28 California Butterfly range shift. Edith's Checkerspot Butterfly has been disappearing from the lower elevations and southern limits of its range. Photo: An Edith's Checkerspot Butterfly laying eggs.

Map Point 31 Olympic Mountains, Washington Forest invasion of alpine meadow. Sub-alpine forest has invaded higher-elevation alpine meadows, partly in response to warmer temperatures. Photo: Trees "advancing"" into alpine meadow at Blue Mountain, Olympic National Park.

Map Point 32 Antarctica Penguin population decline. Adelie Penguin populations have shrunk by 33 percent during the past 25 years in response to declines in their winter sea ice habitat. Photo: Dr. Bill Fraser surveying an Adelie Penguin population.

Map Point 33 Alaska Sea bird population decline. The black guillemot population is declining from 1990 levels because melting sea ice has increased the distance the birds must fly to forage for food and reduced the number of resting sites available. Photo: Dr. George Divoky with a black guillemot. To learn more about Dr. Divoky's research, please visit www.cooperisland.org.

Map Point 35 Monterey Bay, California Shoreline sea life shifting northwards. Changes in invertebrate species such as limpets, snails, and sea stars in the 60-year period between 1931-1933 and 1993-1994 indicate that species' ranges are shifting northwards, probably in response to warmer ocean and air temperatures. Photo: Dr. Rafe Sagarin pointing out anemones, which are expanding their range northward.

Map Point 36 Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica Disappearing frogs and toads. A reduction in dry-season mists due to warmer Pacific ocean temperatures has been linked to disappearances of 20 species of frogs and toads, upward shifts in the ranges of mountain birds, and declines in lizard population. Photo: Dr. Alan Pounds searching for golden toads.

Map Point 65 Glacier National Park, Montana All glaciers in the park will be gone by 2070 if retreat continues at its current rate. Photo: A comparison of the size of Grinnell Glacier. The top image was taken in 1911; bottom image was taken in 2000.

Map Point 68 Interior Alaska Permafrost thawing is causing the ground to subside 16-33 ft (4.9-10 m) in parts of interior Alaska. The permafrost surface has warmed by about 3.5°F (1.9°C) since the 1960's. Photo: Dr. Tom Osterkamp at one of his permafrost measuring sites in Alaska.

Map Point 69 Barrow, Alaska Less snow in summer. Summer days without snow have increased from fewer than 80 in the 1950's to more than 100 in the 1990's. Photo: Scientists record ground data to confirm NDVI readings in Alaska.

Map Point 70 Antarctic Peninsula Since 1945, the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a warming of about 4.5°F (2.5°C). The annual melt season has increased by 2 to 3 weeks in just the past 20 years. Photo: The Muller Ice Shelf from the Antarctic Peninsula.

Map Point 70 Antarctic Peninsula Since 1945, the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a warming of about 4.5°F (2.5°C). The annual melt season has increased by 2 to 3 weeks in just the past 20 years. Photo: Marr Glacier in the Antarctic peninsula, which is receding.

Map Point 109 Colorado Marmots are emerging from hibernation on average 23 days earlier than 23 years ago. This coincides with an increase in average May temperatures of about 1.8°F (1°C). Photo: A marmot (Marmot caligata).

Map Point 117 Argentine Islands The populations of two native Antarctic flowering plants increased rapidly between 1964 and 1990, coincident with the strong regional warming over the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic pearlwort population increased 5-fold while the Antarctic hairgrass increased 25-fold. The unusually rapid increases are attributed to warmer summer temperatures and/or a longer growing season, which enhance the plant’s ability to reproduce. Photo: Pearlwort and Hairgrass.

Map Point 137 Greenland Rapid thinning of the Greenland ice sheet in coastal areas, especially of outlet glaciers, has been measured in two studies during the 1990s. The coastal land ice loss is attributed to a combination of warming-driven factors, including increased melting during warmer summers, high snow accumulation rates feeding the outlet glaciers, and increased rates of melting at the bottom of glaciers due to ocean warming. Photo: Icebergs from the rapidly moving glaciers of Disko Bay.