People who are interested in climate have a new source of maps and data on NOAA Climate.gov. The recently updated page at Climate.gov/maps-data offers easy-to-understand climate maps, a visual catalog of popular climate products, and instructional pages that cover the fundamentals of measuring climate variables and processing and using climate data.
The new Dataset Gallery offers simplified access to many of NOAA’s most sought-after climate data products. Descriptive names and images of sample output enable easy browsing, while convenient filtering options can help users zero in on datasets of interest. Clear overviews of each dataset describe what the data show and how they were gathered. “How-to” text provides tips for accessing each type of data and exploration ideas users may want to consider.
People who are new to climate data can learn some of the basic concepts underlying its collection, processing, and use in the Climate Data Primer. This new feature provides instructional text and images to describe how daily observations can eventually become climate data, and how and why people use such data to help them make decisions.
“You don’t have to be a scientist to understand climate data,” said Betsy Youngman, an educational consultant who contributed to the Maps and Data update. “Anyone with an Internet connection can tap into the archives of climate data that have been collected around the world. They can interpret it for themselves to check the status of our planet.”
NOAA Climate.gov provides scientific data and information to help promote a climate-smart nation. Americans’ health, security, and economic well-being are closely linked to climate and weather. People want and need information to help them manage their climate-related risks and opportunities.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.