New USGS Websites Focusing on Climate Change

Posted by Alexandra Matiella Novak Jan 6, 2009

We are hearing about the consequences of climate change everywhere. Now the USGS is focusing some of its web content specifically on how current climate conditions are impacting water resources and glacier landscapes.

One of these websites is called Ground-Water Watch. This website makes current ground-water data readily available to the public over the internet. The ground-water database contains data from about 850,000 wells throughout the U.S. from hydrological studies over the past 100 years. The databases are split into three groups:

• Active Ground-water Level Network
• Climate Response Network
• Real-time Ground-water Level Network

You can click on a well in your area to see what the groundwater levels are near your home and see if climate conditions, such as drought our excessive rain, are affecting your water resources.

The other website is called Glacier and Landscape Change in Response to Changing Climate. This website introduces the reader to how glaciers, weather, climate and water resources are all linked. The site focuses on glaciers in Alaska since these glaciers have undergone the most dramatic changes in the last 100 years. Included with the informative text are some scenic, yet disturbing, photos of how the landscapes of Alaska have changed since the Earth's climate has warmed.