Are you sitting down? Because here's some shocking news: A Bush administration-commissioned study found that the atmosphere is indeed growing warmer, and that human fingerprints are everywhere. But according to the New York Times, "White House officials noted that it was just the first of 21 planned assessments."

The Bush administration has long maintained that there is a lack of scientific consensus on global warming and its causes, and that this uncertainty must be resolved before action can be taken. The new study, undertaken by the Climate Change Science Program - a department the administration created four years ago to study the uncertainties - found that previous discrepancies in records of temperature increase are no longer apparent, and that "our understanding of observed climate changes and their causes have increased," according to the press release.

The study also, according to the press release, found "clear evidence of human influences on the climate system due to changes in greenhouse gases, aerosols, and stratospheric ozone" and that these changes "cannot be explained by natural processes alone."

Still, the administration plans to maintain its focus on gathering information on global warming rather than implementing policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Times, there are 21 more such studies to come.

Image credit: Climate Change Science Program