Hey everyone, this is SciLife and today I’m
going to talk about climate change once again!
So today I’m only going to be talking about
one portion of climate change and it’s how
the colder winters and harsher winter storms
actually prove global warming exists… and
scientists have predicted it for decades.
But first, you may be thinking that global
warming doesn’t exist because it may be
cold outside right now, correct?
That’s a common misconception so it’s
okay if you get that wrong, but you really
need to know why it’s wrong.
Here’s the thing, that’s where you can
point out the difference between weather and
climate.
What’s the difference between weather and
climate?
Weather is what happens in the atmosphere
day to day or during the short term such as
a single season.
Climate is how the atmosphere behaves over
long periods of time.
So it may be cold right now and you may be
in the middle of a blizzard but over the course
of the last century the entire planet on average
has been in a warming trend with 14 of the
15 hottest years on record occurring since
the year 2000.
It’s been proven that the previous decade
is the warmest decade on record.
It’s also been proven by many reliable sources
that 2014 was the warmest year on record as
well.
A lot of people in the United States may disagree
with it being the warmest year on record because
well it was only the 34th hottest year on
record for the United States.
However, just because it wasn’t as warm
here in the US doesn’t mean it’s not happening
elsewhere.
Also, to further claim that a cold winter
or a snow storm proves that global warming
doesn’t exist is like saying that just because
it’s not raining for a day or two in a rain
forest then it doesn’t generally rain there
or that if it’s cold mid-day in the Sahara
Desert then it’s going to freeze there.
Anyway, let’s get back on topic..
How exactly does a colder winter prove global
warming is real?
To explain this you need to look North towards
the Arctic Circle.
In the Arctic, frigid air is typically trapped
in a tight loop known as the polar vortex.
The air is not just cold, but it also has
a very low barometric pressure and the surrounding
air has a higher pressure, so the higher pressure
air around the arctic essentially presses
it into the Arctic Circle and keeps it there.
Kind of like a coral or a fence.
Over the last few winters scientists have
noticed that this polar vortex has become
increasingly unstable.
What does that have to do with climate change?
Well it has to do with the warming of the
Arctic which is known as Arctic amplification.
Sea ice is melting in the arctic due to climate
change which leaves behind dark open ocean
water, which absorbs more of the heat from
the sun than reflective ice.
The arctic is actually warming about twice
as fast on average as the rest of the world.
The increase in heat also destabilizes the
polar vortex and raises the barometric pressures
inside it.
As the temperature and the pressure raises
more and more and the polar vortex becomes
more unstable, it can essentially break through
the jet-streams that holds it in place and
move much further South than it normally would.
Depending on where the polar vortex of frigid
arctic air moves, it can either make our winters
warmer or colder.
During the 2011/2012 winter season it made
it warmer as it shifted towards Russia.
During the 2013/2014 winter it made it much
colder because it shifted towards the United
States instead of Russia, subsequently leaving
Russia with a much warmer winter than normal.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my quick summary
on the difference between climate and weather
and on how colder winters can and do prove
that global warming exists.
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That’s it for today, so take care everyone!
