NASA hosted a telecon today on the role carbon emissions are playing in climate change and the steps the agency is taking to answer some of the most pressing questions about our planet's future.

Currently, Earth's land cover and oceans are shouldering much of the impacts of human emissions -- about half in fact. But it's unclear if and how long that will continue. Any changes in that support system could mean even bigger changes in Earth's climate. NASA is using a number of strategies and technologies to study the problem, including ground- and space-based instruments, supercomputer simulations and field studies, but climate scientists say there's still more work to do to truly understand how carbon moves among the land, oceans and atmosphere.

This feature and companion infographic provide an excellent overview of the carbon cycle and the impacts of increasing human emissions. 

Learn more about carbon, climate and NASA's ongoing research with these resources:

News and Blogs

• Feature: "A Breathing Planet, Off Balance"
• Feature: "Seven Case Studies in Carbon and Climate"
• Earth Right Now Blog
  

Lessons and Activities

• Climate Change Lessons for Educators
  
• Climate Change Activities for Students

Multimedia and Interactives

• NASA's Earth Now App
• Infographic: "A Breathing Planet, Off Balance"
• Images of Change
  

Facts and Figures

• NASA Earth Missions
• Vital Signs: Carbon Dioxide Graph

Websites

• NASA Carbon and Climate Website
• NASA Climate Change Website

Join the Conversation

• Reddit AMA: "We're NASA scientists studying the role of carbon in our planet's climate. Ask us anything!"
• Follow @EarthVitalSigns on Twitter
• Follow NASA Climate Change on Facebook
  
  

TAGS: Carbon, Climate Change, Global Warming, Earth Science, Earth, Sea Level Rise

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  NASA/JPL Edu

  NASA/JPL Edu supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education by providing NASA and JPL activities, resources and materials to educators and students in grades K-12 as well as STEM internships and research opportunities to higher education students and faculty.