How many weeks has it rained since classes started this semester? Around half the time, right? And remember poor Old Ellicott City which got flooded at least three times within the past 2 years? To say that extreme weather like this is not linked to global warming would be a mistake. While global warming probably does not directly cause extreme weather, it can augment the number of heavy precipitation events, including hurricanes.

Now, we have all heard about greenhouse gases, including the most famous carbon dioxide, that absorb and trap infrared radiation in our atmosphere. Lately, the rapid addition of these gases have been more anthropogenic or human-induced, than natural. Since the atmosphere is warmer, evaporation rates increase, and the atmosphere now holds 4% more water vapor overall than this time 40 years ago. This along with an increase of hot air, forms a high-pressure zone resulting in more violent and more frequent storms.

On the other hand, global warming secures its role in being responsible for heatwaves and droughts. In the West and Southwest of the United States in particular, droughts have become more intense overtime and lasted much longer. This can lead to a smaller snowpack and an earlier melt. This means not only is climate change causing more extreme weather events, but also causing problems such as limited water supply in areas experiencing severe droughts.

Although correlation does not necessarily imply causation, the amount of evidence strongly suggests there to be a cause and effect.

Last modified: 21 October 2018