Climate Velocity in the United States
Over the last century, the continental United States climate has changed rapidly and unevenly. Here researchers take a fine-grained look at shifts in water cycles and climate between 1916 and 2005, tracking the speed and direction of changes in temperatures (top left), the release of water into air by evaporation and plant respiration (top right) and water deficit (bottom left).
The latter is a measure of how much water ought to be released, given local weather and vegetation, and how much water is actually available. The central plains are drying fast.
Citation: "The climate velocity of the contiguous United States during the 20th century." By Solomon Z. Dobrowski, John Abatzoglou, Alan K. Swanson, Jonathan A. Greenberg, Alison R. Mynsberge, Zachary A. Holden, Michael K. Schwartz. Global Change Biology, 26 October 2012.
Image: Dobrowski et al./Global Change Biology (Larger image)