• About
  • Partners
  • Glossary
  • Email
  • Twitter

Understanding Global Change

Discover why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future.

Understanding Global Change

Discover why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future.

Menu
  • Home
  • How to use this website
  • What is Global Change?
    • Close
    • Understanding Global Change 101
    • Understanding Global Change Infographic
    • How the Earth System Works
      • Atmosphere
      • Biosphere
      • Elemental Cycles
      • Geosphere
      • Global Energy Budget
      • Hydrosphere
    • Causes of Global Change
      • Human causes
      • Non-human causes
    • Measurable Changes
      • Atmosphere
      • Biosphere
      • Geosphere
      • Hydrosphere
      • Quality of human life
      • Weather / extreme events
    • Close
  • Teaching Resources
    • Close
    • Planning for Instruction
    • Example Units and Lessons
    • Downloadable Graphics
      • Infographic
      • Icon Sets
      • Earth Scene
    • Close
  • Construct a Model
Home → What is Global Change → Measurable Changes in the Earth System

Measurable Changes in the Earth System

Click the icons below to learn more about the parts of the Earth system that we can measure over time to determine how fast (rate) and how much (magnitude) the Earth system has changed. There are an enormous number of aspects of the Earth system that can be measured, and listed below are some of most significant changes that are occurring around the world. Each page links to related topics on the UGC Infographic.

Sort the icons by categories in the UGC Infographic by clicking the buttons in the row below.

  • All
  • Atmosphere
  • Biosphere
  • Geosphere
  • Hydrosphere
  • Quality of human life
  • Weather / extreme events

UGC infographic that highlights air quality as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Air quality

UGC infographic that highlights airborne particles as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Airborne particles

UGC infographic that highlights biodiversity as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Biodiversity

UGC infographic that highlights clouds as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Clouds

UGC infographic that highlights displacement of human populations as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Displacement of human populations

UGC infographic that highlights erosion as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Erosion

UGC infographic that highlights extinction as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Extinction

UGC infographic that highlights fire as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Fire

UGC infographic that highlights food availability and nutrition as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Food availability and nutrition

UGC infographic that highlights freshwater quality and availability as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Freshwater quality and availability

UGC infographic that highlights health and disease as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Health / disease

UGC infographic that highlights life cycles and traits as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Life cycles and traits

UGC infographic that highlights nutrient levels as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Nutrient levels

UGC infographic that highlights ocean acidification as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Ocean acidification

UGC infographic that highlights oxygen levels as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Oxygen levels

UGC infographic that highlights the ozone layer as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Ozone layer

UGC infographic that highlights precipitation as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Precipitation

UGC infographic that highlights productivity and biomass as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Productivity and biomass

UGC infographic that highlights species ranges as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Species ranges

UGC infographic that highlights sea level rise as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Sea level rise

UGC infographic that highlights temperature as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Temperature

UGC infographic that highlights sedimentation as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Sedimentation

UGC infographic that highlights uplift and sinking of land as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Uplift / sinking of land

UGC infographic that highlights snow and ice cover as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Snow & ice cover

UGC infographic that highlights soil quality as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Soil quality

UGC infographic that highlights extreme weather as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Weather / Extreme events

UGC infographic that highlights species and populations as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Species populations

UGC infographic that highlights wind as a measurable change in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Wind

UGC infographic that highlights greenhouse gases as measurable changes in the Earth system. Click to see full infographic.

Greenhouse gases

A project of the University of California Museum of Paleontology  |  © 2025 University of California Regents. All Rights Reserved.