We’ve all seen it. The gathering gray clouds accompanied by a quick flash of lightning. Storms happen everywhere in many forms. In fact, they seem to be some of the most common natural occurrences on Earth. But what happens when they are becoming increasingly intense and constant? And why are they becoming worse? The answer points to climate change.
It starts with our oceans. Since 1955, over 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases has been stored in the oceans, which cover about 71% of Earth. Because of all the trapped heat, sea surface temperatures worldwide have warmed by about 0.1℃ per decade since 1970. When you think about that, all of it starts to add up and trigger a chain effect. When the oceans warm, the seawater starts to spread which causes sea levels to rise and allows coastal storms to rush in from a higher starting point. Not only that, but storms feed off ocean heat and the water vapor in the atmosphere(which is also increasing). Inland storms, especially with increasing coastal population density, has the potential to cause enormous financial tolls.
Hurricanes, just to name one of the many weather conditions wrecking our planet, are becoming more severe. Many factors from our warming climate are making them more extreme in nature and unpredictable. Hurricane Florence started as a storm. For a while, it stayed a weak storm until it moved over a spot in the west-central Atlantic that was abnormally warm. It was this warm spot that fueled Florence to become a Category 4 hurricane that went on to hit the Carolinas and cost an estimated $20 billion in damages. It is a hurricane that won’t be easily be forgotten and neither will its unusual severity that demonstrated climate change in action.
And it’s not just hurricanes. Heavy downpours have become heavier and more frequent in the United States which has increased flooding in the Midwest and the Northwest where most of the rain has occurred. Other severe storms such as tornadoes and hail are causing more and more financial damage as they become as frequent as the downpours.
This isn’t natural variability, which some people have been led to believe. Natural variability is caused from the interactions between the atmosphere and oceans. It’s where some years are hotter or colder or wetter or drier in certain places. Data from past centuries has shown that this variability has limits, limits that are being exceedingly passed with every year.
It will be hard, but we can still put a stop to this. We need to put a halt to the increasing temperatures by decreasing the energy that we release into the atmosphere in any way we can. It can be something as simple as writing a quick letter to a representative or joining a climate activist group. Let’s Do This, be the change, and KEAP Earth green.
SOURCES:
Bryce. “Ocean Warming.” Ocean Scientists for Informed Policy, 2019, www.oceanscientists.org/index.php/topics/ocean-warming.
Francis, Jennifer. “Rough Weather Ahead.” Scientific American, June 2019.
“Hurricanes and Climate Change.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 25 June 2019, www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/impacts/hurricanes-and-climate-change.html#bf-toc-1.
“Menu.” National Climate Assessment, nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather.