Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change Indicators - Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases
This indicator describes how the levels of major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have changed over time.
This indicator describes concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It focuses on the major greenhouse gases that result from human activities.
For carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halogenated gases, recent measurements come from monitoring stations around the world, while measurements of older air come from air bubbles trapped in layers of ice from Antarctica and Greenland. By determining the age of the ice layers and the concentrations of gases trapped inside, scientists can learn what the atmosphere was like thousands of years ago.
This indicator also shows data from satellite instruments that measure ozone density in the troposphere, the stratosphere, and the “total column,” or all layers of the atmosphere. These satellite data are routinely compared with ground-based instruments to confirm their accuracy. Ozone data have been averaged worldwide for each year to smooth out the regional and seasonal variations.
Understanding and addressing climate change is critical to EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment.
EPA partners with more than 40 data contributors from various government agencies, academic institutions, and other organizations to compile a key set of indicators related to the causes and effects of climate change.
Greenhouse gases from human activities are the most significant driver of observed climate change since the mid-20th century.1
This indicator describes emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States.
This indicator describes emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide.
This indicator measures the “radiative forcing” or heating effect caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What are you looking for?
Organization
Website URL
Type of Resource
Assigned Categories
Resource k12
This indicator describes how the levels of major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have changed over time.
This indicator describes concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It focuses on the major greenhouse gases that result from human activities.
For carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halogenated gases, recent measurements come from monitoring stations around the world, while measurements of older air come from air bubbles trapped in layers of ice from Antarctica and Greenland. By determining the age of the ice layers and the concentrations of gases trapped inside, scientists can learn what the atmosphere was like thousands of years ago.
This indicator also shows data from satellite instruments that measure ozone density in the troposphere, the stratosphere, and the “total column,” or all layers of the atmosphere. These satellite data are routinely compared with ground-based instruments to confirm their accuracy. Ozone data have been averaged worldwide for each year to smooth out the regional and seasonal variations.
Understanding and addressing climate change is critical to EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment.
EPA partners with more than 40 data contributors from various government agencies, academic institutions, and other organizations to compile a key set of indicators related to the causes and effects of climate change.
Greenhouse gases from human activities are the most significant driver of observed climate change since the mid-20th century.1
This indicator describes emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States.
This indicator describes emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide.
This indicator measures the “radiative forcing” or heating effect caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
