Scientists Still Unsure About Global Warming Causes
Record-breaking temperatures are sweeping across the world.
Scientists wonder why.
‘Weather changes worldwide’
Cold temperatures killed hundreds of Europeans, while many
people in Paris enjoyed the heat just weeks later. The United States is
experiencing a range of cold and hot streaks, and Scotland is setting heat
records.
‘Scientists accredit global warming’
Many scientists attribute the varying weather conditions to
human-created global warming. Others blame natural causes.
Some people hear the term “global warming,” and paint a
mental picture of polar bears on melting ice. Arctic ice caps have shrunk
40 percent since the 1980s. An area of the Artic Ocean has opened to form a gap
the size of Europe. Many scientists claim that these issues are caused by the
release of greenhouse gases.
Dr. Jennifer A. Francis is a climate researcher at Rutgers
University. She says that global warming has caused hot, cold, dry, and wet
days to last longer. Francis’ recent paper also presents evidence that the
oceans’ jet streams are moving more slowly from west to east.
Dr. Martin Hoerling of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration says the global heat waves are occurring from natural causes. He
says, “What’s happening in the Arctic is mostly staying in the Arctic.”
‘U.S. experiences heat records’
The Artic Circle is not the only part of the world to
experience significant changes. A recent New York Times research group revealed
that the U.S. has set seventeen new daily high records for every low record.
Monthly temperatures have been above average since 1985.
The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change says there is a strong link between increased global warming and strong
floods, heat waves and heavy rainfalls.
‘Extreme weather occurs yearly’
John R. Christy is a climate
scientist at the University of Alabama. He told congress last year that global
warming is prompting yearly extreme weather events to occur worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment