Climate Changes Caused By Global Warming

There is no doubt that the earth's climate is constantly changing.  Some people feel that it is part of the normal cycle of geological events on this planet.  Yet, most scientists are concluding that there are drastic changes occurring caused by unnatural global warming. 

The weather is getting decidedly warmer. Daily temperature highs are higher and daily lows are not as low. Check almost any weather station in the United States and you'll discover a warming trend. In some places, the average rise in temperature is close to four degrees Fahrenheit! However, all the states show some degree of warming. 

The first and second warmest years on record were 1998 and 2006, respectively.  In fact, 16 of the hottest recorded years have occured during the last 25 years. In 2006, the annual average temperature was 54.9° F, 2.1° F (1.2° C) above the 20th Century mean. Warmer years, changing weather patterns all point to climate changes brought on by global warming. 

One major climatic change due to global warming can be seen in the prevalence of drought.  Years are becoming drier in recent decades as water vapor remains trapped in the atmosphere. Winds patterns have shifted as well.  All this is being caused by the heat that is building up around the earth's surface.  Excessive evaporation appears to be intensifying drought even more during the spring and fall. 

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There have been more and more frequent droughts in the Western United states in recent years.  The last 30 years in particular have seen numerous droughts.  These droughts have depleted water resevoirs and spawned wildfires. 2006 set a new record for number of fires and of acres burned. Lives were lost in these fires, thousands of homes were destroyed and many were homeless for weeks. These destructive wildfires are just further proof of global warming. 

While extended droughts are the most obvious overall effect of global warming another major effect has been more frequent and severe storms.  The heat associated with global warming energizes the atmosphere, creating storms of greater intensity.  Gentle rain, over several days, allows more water to soak into the earth, replenishing aquifers. This is a cause for celebration with farmers and no more than minor inconvenience to others. But today's current storms are more likely to be destructive.

Strangely, while there are more areas experiencing droughts, rainfall totals have also risen in the past century.  Now when the rain comes, it to often falls in rapid downpours.  The sky opens up and literally dumps water on the earth, very quickly in many cases. This leads to a rapid run off of the water, where little of it seeps into the soil. And more flooding conditions arise. In many places on the Earth, these clouldbursts are followed by extended dry periods. 

The number of times it rains in a year has actually increased during the last 50 years. But it is not a useful percipitation. As global warming is causing storms to intensify, rainfalls which would have been ordinary thunderstorms in the past are morphing into raging tempests.  Hurricanes have been rated higher in recent years as global warming affects their intensity. This is escaluating into the billions of dollars the amont of damage hurricanes are doing. 

Global warming is responsible for many climate changes.  There is strong evidence that people in general are a key component in the cause for the increase in global warming that precipitates these changes.  If humanity makes it a common goal to change their activities towards using more sustainable and renewable energy sources, more hostile climate changes could be prevented.

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News About Global Warming and Climate Change

UN: Climate funds shouldn't divert poverty aid 2 Sep 2010 at 7:37pm
The U.N.'s climate chief says poor countries are right to expect that any funding they receive to combat global warming be kept separate from development aid or poverty relief. Climate change - Poverty - Global warming - Environment - Development aid

Ban: Global warming requires global action 2 Sep 2010 at 9:41am
VADUZ, Liechtenstein, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The global community needs to act collectively to tackle the challenges of climate change, the U.N. secretary-general said in Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein - VADUZ - Austria - Hong Kong - Snoop Dogg

Global warming: Can the San Bernardino flying squirrel be saved? 2 Sep 2010 at 11:34am
Environmentalists have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the San Bernardino flying squirrel, a nocturnal glider native to Southern California mountains, as an endangered species, threatened by climate change. The petition, filed Tuesday by the Tucson-based Center...

Climate chief cites disasters as proof 2 Sep 2010 at 3:22pm
UN climate chief Christiana Figueres on Thursday warned that a string of weather calamities showed the deepening urgency to forge a breakthrough deal on global warming this year.

6 global warming skeptics who changed their minds 1 Sep 2010 at 10:15am
Climate change doubters have just lost one of their leading lights, as writer Bjorn Lomborg calls for a worldwide carbon tax. But he's not the first high-profile defector

Nations meet on climate cash, U.N. sees long haul 2 Sep 2010 at 1:56pm
About 45 nations met on Thursday to seek ways to raise billions of dollars in aid to help the poor combat climate change as the United Nations warned them of a long haul to slow global warming.

Climate Envoys Seek Consensus on $100 Million in Aid for Poorer Nations 2 Sep 2010 at 11:43am
Envoys from more than 40 nations are in Geneva to brainstorm ways to help poorer nations get the estimated $100 million a year needed to fight global warming.

Disasters ?a call to action on climate change? 2 Sep 2010 at 8:50pm
UN climate chief Christiana Figueres yesterday warned that a string of weather calamities showed the deepening urgency to forge a breakthrough deal on global warming this year.

John Seinfeld: Global Climate Change 2 Sep 2010 at 7:26pm
In a Watson Lecture on March 7, John Seinfeld, Caltech's Nohl Professor and professor of chemical engineering, discussed global climate, explaining how Earth's temperature results from a balance of incoming and outgoing radiation. Seinfeld's lecture summarized scientists' current understanding of global climate change and articulated how the buildup of so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon ...

Climate Scientists? Inconvenient Scandal 2 Sep 2010 at 9:30am
Climate change issue sheds its boring factor...