"Observational evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases." –Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007 Explore the signs of global warming on this map or Google Earth. The evidence of climate change includes heat waves, sea-level rise, flooding, melting glaciers, earlier spring arrival, coral reef bleaching, and the spread of disease. The greatest concentration of global warming indicators on the map is in North America and Europe because that is where most scientific investigation has been done to date. As scientists focus increasingly on fingerprints of global warming in other regions—from Russia to Antarctica and Oceania to South America—the evidence they find will be added to the map. Scientists project that unless emissions of heat-trapping gases are brought undercontrol, the impacts of climate change are likely to increase.

Extreme wet The atmosphere in a warming world holds more water vapor, creating a trend toward more intense precipitation events. Torrential rainstorms and severe blizzards can lead to flooding. Read more about global warming effects on rain and snow. Extreme dry Higher temperatures accelerate the transfer of water from land surfaces and plants to the atmosphere. This can result in extremely dry conditions in areas with less rain. Read how global warming contributes to droughts. Land ice This category encompasses ice that lasts longer than a year on land, including mountain glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and permafrost—most of which are shrinking because of global warming. Discover how land ice is threatened by global warming.