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Category Archives: Climate
Is climate change uniform across the globe?
Temperature is a fundamental indicator of a climate. Annual and seasonal temperatures patterns have a defining role in the types of animals and plants that reside in an ecosystem. Rapid changes in temperature can disrupt a wide range of natural processes. This is one reason we monitor temperature changes as a metric for global change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information maintain a collection of climate data online at: www.ncei.noaa.gov
Concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are increasing in the Earth’s atmosphere. This increase is due to anthropogenic activity. In response, the average temperatures at the Earth’s surface are increasing and are expected to continue rising. Though global temperature changes can shift the wind patterns and ocean currents, the regional warming is not uniform. Continue reading
What is climate change?
Climate can be defined as the collective state of the atmosphere for a given place over a specified interval of time. There are three parts to this definition: location, because climate can be defined for a globe, a continent, a region or a city; time, because climate must be defined over a specified period; and the collective state of the atmosphere, which includes averages and extremes of variables such as temperature, precipitation, pressure and winds.
Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates. Continue reading
Can we control the weather?
We watched in stunned horror the suffering of our fellow citizens across parts of the South in the aftermath of the nearly back-to-back disasters wrought by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Naturally the question of whether these storms were made more intense and impactful by the ongoing, slow background warming has been considered in discussions of these events. Continue reading
What is “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” forecast for winter?
“The Old Farmer’s Almanac” recently published its 2024-25 winter forecast. For the Upper Midwest region, it predicts winter will not be as cold as usual. The precipitation and snowfall forecast are for below average.
But don’t count on that forecast, as there is no proven skill. “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” does not share how it makes its forecast, so it cannot be judged scientifically. “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” also makes a weather forecast for specific time periods in a given season. Such detailed forecasts can be announced but are not trustworthy scientifically. Continue reading
Do oceans have heat waves?
As with the atmosphere, oceans can experience heat waves. The National Weather Service defines an atmospheric heat wave as a period of abnormally hot weather generally lasting more than two days. To be considered a heat wave, the temperatures must be outside the historical averages for a given area.
Marine heat waves are defined as any time the ocean temperatures are warmer than 90% of the previous observations for the region at a given time of year. Marine heat waves can last for weeks, months and even years. Continue reading
