Web Writing- Carly Ferreira

Global Warming Causes Erratic Weather

Moving from one weather extreme to the next, scientists and researchers are trying to figure out the cause of these rapidly changing weather patterns in the United States as well as throughout the rest of the world.

While there are some that call it “weather weirding,” scientists are blaming global warming for the erratic weather changes lately. Just last week, as a heat wave spread across the nation, pools and beaches attracted crowds, trees bloomed, and farmers were able to plant their crops six weeks early. And it’s only March.

The rest of the world is experiencing heat waves too. For example, Scotland is setting record-breaking heat records. And although hundreds died in Europe due to a severe cold wave in the beginning of February, a week later travelers in Paris were wearing short sleeves.

Researchers are now developing theories that link these erratic weather changes with global warming. Scientists are also focusing on the melting sea ice in the Arctic, which is supposedly linked to an increase in greenhouse gas use.

The Climate Situation

As the planet warms, more energy and water vapor are entering the atmosphere and are driving weather systems. A report released Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that global warming was linked to an increase in heat waves, which can cause a rise in heavy rainfall and precipitation.

“A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events,” the report found. The United States is no exception.

Some examples of record-breaking climate imbalances in the United States include:

·      February was the 324^th consecutive month where global temperatures exceeded their averages in past months (the last month with below average temperatures was February 1985).

·      There are now more record highs being set at weather stations than record lows, indicating a warming climate.

·       Last year, despite a cold winter, the United States set almost three new highs for every low temperature.

While there is a link between global warming and heat waves, scientists are also studying how human activity contributes to weather extremes. Their attention is being drawn to the Arctic where they found that green house gases are causing the region to warm more rapidly than the rest of the planet and are causing the sea ice cap to drastically shrink.