Given the snowfall Delaware has experienced the last couple of years, the state Department of Transportation has done an admirable job clearing roads, particularly main arteries such as Del. 1 and Interstate 95. There’s obviously been no global warming in Delaware’s recent winters.
Yes, because Delaware is the whole globe and global warming models predict it will never snow again. :eyeroll: So, what’s up with all the snow?
This brings us to the question of whether extreme snows are more typical because of global warming. Sorry to cut to the chase so quickly, but the answer is yes. According to research compiled in part by Dr. David Changnon, professor of Meteorology at Northern Illinois University, and published in the journal of the American Meteorological Society, “the frequency of Midwestern snow storms goes up as a result of increasing temperatures worldwide.” The research also concludes that “these comparative results reveal that a future with wetter and warmer winters, which is one outcome expected (National Assessment Synthesis Team 2001), will bring more snowstorms than in 1901–2000.” Good news if you’re an avid snowmobiler!
Now it’s time to look for the cause and effect that global warming increases the frequency and severity of snow events. One elementary piece of meteorology is almost enough to explain this. Warmer water evaporates quicker than colder water. If the planet continues to see warmer-than-normal temperatures, more water vapor will be allowed to evaporate from oceans and given to the atmosphere. According to report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change),”given observed sea surface temperature increases, this implies an overall increase in water vapour of order 5 percent over the 20th century and about 4 percent since 1970.”
Studies are showing that global climate change makes storms more severe and flooding more likely. But we will continue to pretend there is some controversy and screw the next generation. I can’t believe all the earnest concern from politicians about leaving debt for the next generation but absolutely no concern about leaving the Earth for the next generation.