17.0 Climate

These photos were taken in the same place, 63 years apart. What a difference a few decades can make! The earlier photo shows the massive Riggs Glacier in Alaska. The later photo shows what has happened to it. Why did so much of the glacier melt? The answer is climate change.

What is climate? Why does it change? The answer to the first question is easy. The answer to the second question is harder. You’ll learn answers to both questions when you read this chapter.