File:Your Hometown- Wetter or Drier? (14107172126).jpg

This NASA visualization for the National Climate Assessment released today shows how springtime precipitation in the U.S. will change by the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue current trends, according to a NOAA analysis of climate data. Blues and greens represent increased precipitation, while browns represent decreased precipitation.

Overall, northern U.S. regions would see increases in winter and spring precipitation while the U.S. South and Southwest would get drier.

NASA provides a global perspective to supplement ground-based precipitation data through its observations from satellites, such as the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory launched in February. GPM is a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Scientists from NASA, the U.S., and worldwide will be using data from the GPM mission to help advance our understanding of Earth's water and energy cycles, and to improve the forecasting of extreme events that can cause natural disasters.

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, scheduled to launch late this year, will help scientists understand how climate change affects soil moisture, which is important to water, agriculture, fire, flood and drought hazard management.

To learn more about the National Climate Assessment’s take on precipitation changes, visit: nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/our-changing-climate/prec...

To learn more about the GPM mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/gpm

To learn more about the SMAP mission, visit: smap.jpl.nasa.gov

To watch the precipitation data animation, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipOcTpNl5rs

To learn more about other NASA missions that contribute to understanding climate change, visit: www.climate.nasa.gov

To learn more about NASA’s Earth science activities in 2014, visit: www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

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