Have you ever
wondered- what is going on with all this extreme weather? Why in 2011 were there so many tornados? There were 1691 documented tornados resulting
in 553 deaths according to the NOAA National Weather Service. This summer drought
plagued the United States. The US
Drought Monitor listed most of the state of Iowa as D3 Drought- Extreme. http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/archive/20121023/pdfs/total_dm_121023.pdf
How about those hurricanes? Right at this very moment, the north-northeast
is preparing for what The Weather Channel is categorizing as a Category 1
hurricane- Sandy with winds of 75mph.
This system (also known as Frankenstorm) is parallel to the Carolina’s
and is anticipated to be onshore Monday am near the mid-Atlantic and northeast
United States which are heavily populated areas. This system will affect tens
of millions of people in the areas of personal safety, property damage,
communication, power outages- to name a few.
The cost of this hurricane could surpass a billion dollars!
In November
2011, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special
report on extreme weather. The IPCC
includes the world’s leading climate scientists convened by the United
Nation. In the report, over 22o scientists
compiled information during a two year time period and the report is considered
“the first comprehensive examination of scientific knowledge on the subject.” The report cautions developed and
underdeveloped countries citing that “rising sea levels will increase the
vulnerability of coastal areas, and the increase in extreme weather events will
wipe billions off national economies and destroy lives.” Hmm…sounds like they predicted the future
because consider what is going on with Hurricane Sandy at this very
moment.
The IPCC reports
that there is clear and solid evidence that extreme weather events “are more
likely.” Underdeveloped nations will be
the worst afflicted because of their geography and are less well prepared in
their infrastructure, as well as lacking the economic resources necessary to
protect their nation. Developed
countries will experience heatwaves, drought, and heavier rains. Globally, “hot days become even hotter and
occur more often,” increasing by a factor of 10 in most regions. Tropical cyclones will increase and heavy
precipitation will occur.
Could this be
caused by human induced global warming?
The IPCC reflects “the difficulty in typing specific extreme weather
events to human-induced global warming” because “there will always be
variability in where and how frequently” such events occur.
This editorial
is quite profound to me. Unprecedented weather
extremes in the last few years seem to mirror what this report is stating. I do, however, think that human induced
global warming is having an impact on the weather. Our reliance on fossil fuels such as coal,
oil, and coal-fired power plants are having the greatest impact on climate
change according to Green Peace.org. Did
you know that plastic is made from fossil fuels? Think of all the plastic you use- then think
of all those plastic bags…
Now back to
Hurricane Sandy. I’m fascinated by this
and the potential of the unknown. The Weather
Channel has 5 reasons Sandy will be epic:
1. A Northbound Hurricane: the extra-tropical
storm system will get power from warmer ocean water.
2. Early Winter Storm: This extra-tropical
storm merges with a winter system.
3. Artic Air from the North: Frigid air
traveling south is coming from Canada.
(I feel like I need a blanket)
4. High Tides Could Worsen Flooding: A full
moon causes higher tides that produce more powerful winds- thus pushing water
to low lying areas.
5. Snow-wind Combo: Increases the risk for
power outages.
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