2024-07-31 13:47:23
Such weather events have happened before – but the problem is that now they are happening more often and on a much larger scale.
It is no secret that the Earth’s climate during 4.5 billion The history of the year has changed a lot. In nature, there have been both warmer and colder conditions. But the current pace of change puts the living world at risk.
“Every one of us, wherever we live, is experiencing the effects of climate change today,” says Hayhoe. Some of us may not even be aware of the impact climate change is having on our daily lives. Whether we like it or not, it affects us all, from the way more extreme weather increases home insurance rates, food becomes less nutritiousand drinking water gradually decreases.
One of the important direct effects of climate change is the increase in extreme weather events, which endanger human life and have a huge economic impact. Based on in 2023 in a scientific article published in the journal “Nature”., extreme weather events that can be attributed to climate change cost the world $143 billion annually. dollars, of which the majority (63%) is the loss of human life.
But why is Earth’s weather getting weirder?
Heat waves
Let’s start with one of the most obvious effects of climate change – heat waves. As the world warms, heat waves are not only becoming more frequent, but also stronger.
A recent heatwave on the west coast of the US in Las Vegas set the country’s all-time temperature record of 49 degrees Celsius. During this extreme heat wave, when temperatures were as much as 20 degrees above average for this time of year, about 36 million people died. people received warnings.
In Saudi Arabia, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which coincided with an extreme heat wave, more than 1300 people died. BBC Stake, the Grand Mosque in Mecca recorded a temperature of 52 degrees Celsius. Greece has just recorded the country’s earliest heat wave, which has killed several tourists, including a well-known British TV and radio presenter. Meanwhile, northern India is reeling from its worst ever heat wave, with a reported temperature of 49 degrees Celsius. Summers in India are known for being hot and humid, but this year the heatwaves are longer, more intense and much more frequent, according to the BBC.
Heat waves occur when a high-pressure atmospheric system moves downward and pushes warm air toward the ground. We are currently facing the problem of high pressure systems strengthening as the planet warms, creating a vicious cycle.
“The warmer it is, the stronger the high pressure system, and the stronger the high pressure system, the warmer it is,” explains Hayhoe.
Heavy rains and floods
Another byproduct of a warming world is the accumulation of more water vapor in a warmer atmosphere. When moisture-saturated air moves over land or merges into a storm system, more precipitation can occur—for example, heavier rains or blizzards.
Atmospheric rivers are one of the most important factors when it comes to heavy precipitation. An atmospheric river is a river of vapor in the sky. When one of them approaches a mountain, the air is forced to rise. This cools the air and the water condenses and falls as rain.
“So the atmospheric rivers are getting stronger and bigger because they’re picking up a lot more water vapor.” After all, the warmer it is, the more water evaporates from the ocean,” explains the scientist.
According to global weather forecasts, 2023/2024 In the autumn and winter seasons in the UK and Ireland, about 20% of the precipitation falls due to human-caused climate change. more precipitation.
This year, rains and floods have already wreaked havoc all over the world and it doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon. In May Afghanistan has been hit by a catastrophic flood, which killed more than 300 people in Baghlan, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. In June heavy rains devastated Switzerland, France and Italy, causing landslides and floods, with at least seven people reported dead. In India, Nepal and Bangladesh, large-scale flooding is not uncommon during the monsoon season, but this year due to an unusually early onset of heavy rainfall more than 40 people have died so far. An unusually strong storm also hit Lithuania this week.
Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones
Hurricanes and typhoons are a type of weather phenomenon called tropical cyclones. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tropical cyclone is a general term for a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that rises over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation. When wind speeds reach 120 kilometers per hour or more, a tropical cyclone is classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone, depending on where the storm originates.
The term “hurricane” is used in the North Atlantic, Central Pacific, and Eastern Pacific. In the Northwest Pacific, the term typhoon is used to describe similar phenomena, and in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the general term tropical cyclone is used.
Regardless of the name, these storms are unique in that they are caused by warm ocean water.
The planet’s oceans are particularly vulnerable to climate change and our warming world. “90 percent additional heat trapped in the climate system goes into the ocean, not into the atmosphere,” says K. Hayhoe. This means that there is a lot of energy that can fuel stronger storms. As a result, a much greater proportion of storms become stronger and become hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones.
“Storms are not only intensifying faster, but also moving more slowly. Therefore, they stay longer and pour much more rain,” says K. Hayhoe.
in 2017 Hurricane Harvey was the first major hurricane to hit the United States enabling scientists to calculate, what influence climate change had on this event. Scientists found that climate change has tripled the likelihood of hurricane rainfall over Houston, Texas, and increased it by 15 percent. more intense.
Forest fires
Another important effect of climate change is the increased occurrence of large forest fires. According to the Independent, during the first three years of 2024 In the past few months, wildfires in the US alone have destroyed more than 7,000 square kilometers of land.
Although most fires in densely populated areas are caused by accidental human effects (accidental ignition), they are exacerbated by climate change, especially hotter and drier weather.
“Imagine you accidentally drop a match into a pile of wet wood. What will happen? Not much. Imagine there is snow around the wood – nothing will happen, explains K. Hayhoe. – Now imagine dropping a match into a pile of dry wood that has been baked in high heat for weeks or even months. That’s why we’re seeing an increase in the area burned by fires and the number of large fires.”
Wildfire seasons are also starting earlier – and lasting longer. For example, this year’s forest fire season in Canada started in February, just like last year. However, it used to start only in March.
Last year (2023) was the worst fire season ever in Canada, with more than 6,500 fires burning about 180,000 square kilometers. In perspective, the total 2023 the burned area was eight times the 40-year average, BBC skelbia.
And unfortunately, climate change will make this disastrous scenario more common.
Unlike wildfires in the US, most boreal forest fires are caused by lightning, not humans. Scientists predict that for every degree of global warming, the frequency of lightning will increase by 11 to 31 percent, writes the BBC. This is because warmer air can hold more moisture – about 7 percent more per degree of warming. There is moisture a key component of thunderstorm developmentso the more moisture in the air, the greater the chance of thunderstorms and accompanying lightning.
Turbulence
in 2024 In May, a Singapore Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence, killing one person from a suspected heart attack and seriously injuring several others. In the same month, a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland experienced severe turbulence over Turkey, during which 12 people were injured. in 2024 in July dozens of people were injuredwhen the Air Europa flight was hit by severe turbulence – the flight from Spain to Uruguay had to make an emergency landing in Brazil.
A bit of turbulence is normal when traveling by plane. But the recent spate of serious incidents has people wondering if climate change is to blame.
It is difficult to directly blame climate change, but there is evidence that it may increase the risk of turbulence, writes the BBC.
Air travel is affected by two main types of air turbulence: one caused by storms and the other known as “fair weather” turbulence.
The frequency of turbulence caused by thunderstorms is likely because, as discussed earlier, climate change is increasing the frequency of thunderstorms. However, this type of turbulence is less of a problem for pilots because it is associated with storms and is therefore easier to predict.
Another type of turbulence, “fair weather” turbulence, also known as “invisible turbulence”, is highly unpredictable and is one of the biggest causes of weather-related aviation incidents. Climate change is expected to increase their frequency, and under specific climate change scenarios, they could be four times more likely to occur by 2050 compared to previous periods.
All is not lost
“Wherever we look in the world, we see that climate change is making these weather events bigger and putting us all at risk,” concludes Hayhoe.
But while it can be hard to find the positives in a sea of negative climate change news, it is clear that trends are nevertheless changing. People are increasingly aware of the impact and seriousness of climate change. But it’s still unclear whether this understanding is spreading fast enough — what is clear is that we are all responsible for climate change and must take action to mitigate it, writes Live Science.
2024-07-31 13:47:23