Global warming Altered chemical cycles Carbon Dioxide-global warming Nitrogen phosphorous in fertilizer (algae in aquatic ecosystems, acid rain )Christopher Bright threat 2

Warmest Year Dating back to 1895, never has the U.S. strung together 12 straight months warmer than May 2011 to April 2012 according to new data released today by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) .

Graphic representation

NASA Demonstration This is a very clear representation of the effects of temperature rise and also what is unknown. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab6jV4VBWZE&feature=related

Significant events for April 2012 Snowfall was limited, snow cover third smallest on record Drought and wildfires in Northeast Mountain snowpack in Intermountain West much below normal Large tornado outbreak in the central Plains Record snowfall in Anchorage, Alaska

Start of 2012 temperature January-April 2012 was the warmest such period on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 45.4 degrees F, 5.4 degrees F above the long-term average. Twenty-six states, all east of the Rockies, were record warm for the four-month period, and an additional 17 states had temperatures for the period among their ten warmest.

Start of 2012 drier than average The first four months of 2012 were drier than average for the contiguous United States as a whole, with some regional variability. The eastern third of the nation was drier than average, where Maryland and Delaware were record dry, and an additional six states had precipitation totals ranking among the ten driest. Drier-than-average conditions were also present for much of the Interior West.

Start of 2012 wetter than average Wetter-than-average conditions occurred across the central regions of the country and the Pacific Northwest, where the above-average precipitation contributed to higher than normal mountain snowpack at the end of the snow season. The amount of snowpack at this time of year is important in determining the water supply for the region during the upcoming summer period.

Which worries you most? Higher temperatures Greater drought More snow in the Pacific Northwest