Whereas weather is the daily to seasonal changes in patterns of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind; climate change is the long-term trend of these patterns. Some short-term climate variation is normal from cycles of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation; however, natural causes and natural variability alone cannot explain the rapid increase in global temperatures in the last 50 years. A chief cause, say scientists, is the rise in global greenhouse gases due to human activity. This range of natural and human factors driving the warming or cooling influences on global climate plays an essential role in shaping ecosystems, including Puget Sound.
Sources:
Puget Sound Science Review
http://www.eopugetsound.org/science-review/section-2-driver-climate-change-salish-sea-ecosystem
Overview
A 2015 report from the University of Washington provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the expected impacts of climate change on the Puget Sound region.
