Scientists Divided Over Cause of Recent Weather Extremes

Extreme weather conditions have people confused – including scientists. Is global warming really to blame?

Extreme Weather

A heat wave drew crowds across the United States to the beach while a cold snap in Northern states brought some of the lowest temperatures of the season. A severe cold wave caused the deaths of hundreds in Europe while weeks later people in Paris wore short-sleeved shirts.

People may be quick to blame global warming for this extreme whether, but some scientists aren’t so convinced.

The Search for Answers

Some scientists believe the decline of Arctic sea ice is a direct consequence of the human release of greenhouse gases. Without the ice caps to reflect heat, the open water absorbs this heat and releases it to the atmosphere.

Jennifer A. Francis, a climate researcher, says that this is causing the jet stream, the huge river of air that circles the Northern Hemisphere, to move slower. This change in pace can cause rapidly different weather as the stream moves along. 

Climate scientists, like John R. Christy and Martin P. Hoerling, are not so quick to link greenhouse gases or human causes to weather extremes.

Christy told Congress that “the weather is very dynamic, especially at local scales, so that extreme events of one type or another will occur somewhere on the planet every year.”

Martin P. Hoerling says, “What’s happening in the Arctic is mostly staying in the Arctic.”

Breaking Records

A report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, confirmed that evidence links global warming to an increase in heat waves, a rise in episodes of heavy rainfall and other precipitation, and more frequent coastal flooding.

Some of the documented imbalances in the climate are hard to ignore.

For example:

·      February was the 324th consecutive month in which global temperatures exceeded their long-term average for a given month

·      In the United States, more record highs are being set than record lows.

·      Last year, despite a chilly winter, the United States set nearly three new highs for every low.

As more weather records are broken, scientists continue to search for the reason behind this weird weather.