Back to browse
TerraShift: What does +2°C (or -20°C) look like on Earth?

TerraShift: What does +2°C (or -20°C) look like on Earth?

by ttruett·Mar 17, 2026·5 points·1 comment

AI Analysis

●●SolidEye CandyCozy

Temperature slider drives real satellite data visualization better than static climate maps.

Strengths
  • Per-pixel rendering from actual elevation and satellite data, not fake graphics
  • Honest methodology docs admit models are approximations tuned for visual accuracy
  • Click-anywhere snowfall projections add useful local context to global view
Weaknesses
  • Author admits these aren't proper climate simulations, limiting scientific utility
  • Climate visualization space already has NASA, Climate Central, and academic tools
Category
Target Audience

Climate enthusiasts, educators, weather nerds

Similar To

Climate Central · NASA Climate Visualizer · Windy.com

Post Description

I built an interactive 3D globe to visualize climate change. Drag a temperature slider from -40°C to +40°C, set a timeframe (10 to 10,000 years), and watch sea levels rise, ice sheets melt, vegetation shift, and coastlines flood... per-pixel from real elevation and satellite data.

Click anywhere on the globe to see projected snowfall changes for that location.

---

I'm an amateur weather nerd who spends a lot of time on caltopo.com and windy.com tracking snow/ice conditions. I wanted to build something fun to imagine where I could go ski during an ice age.

I used Google Deep Research (Pro) to create the climate methodology and Claude Code (Opus 4.6 - High) to create the site.

The code: https://github.com/travistruett/terrashift

The models aren't proper climate simulations, they're simplified approximations tuned for "does this look right?" but more nuanced than I expected them to be. The full methodology is documented here if anyone wants to poke holes in it.

https://github.com/travistruett/terrashift/blob/main/docs/al...

Similar Projects

Design●●Solid

Interactive 3D WebGL Globe for real-time daylight cycles

Pretty globe, but Google Maps 3D, Mapbox, and Globe.gl demos already exist.

Eye CandyRabbit Hole
codechibi
553mo ago