As I write this very sentence I can hear the sound of snow and ice pounding against my window. Being a inhabitant of New England, I am no stranger to this kind of weather. But the odd part is that it happens to be March 15, five days before the first day of spring. How could this be? What we’re experiencing right now is a Nor’Easter; a combination of warm air from more southern regions and frigid winds from the north-east creating a cyclone. Nor’easters are not unusual, but the timing of this one is impeccable.
According to the Washington Times, president Trump is getting ready to undo former President Obama’s Clean Power Plan sometime soon. The plan was put in place to help fight climate change by placing regulations on manufacturers, and limiting emissions of greenhouse gases. With winter storms in March such as this one, one may argue that the world temperature is not at all increasing, and in fact everything is as should be. However, global warming does not necessarily mean the area in which you are living will become significantly warmer. It’s only logical that different climates are affected in different ways considering their geographic position, urbanization, and other factors.
An effect of climate change which is not always mentioned is heavy and irregular precipitation. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, ucsusa.org, “Even though the planet is getting warmer, cold weather still happens in winter or at very high elevations or high latitudes year-round.”
When snow falls, air temperatures drop below 32 degree Celsius but moisture remains in the air. Where do large amounts of moisture come from? Evaporating water caused by high temperatures in other areas of the world. Warm winds from the south combining with frigid air from the north is the perfect recipe for a massive storm like a nor’easter. Climate scientists Michael E. Mann and Kevin Trenberth reported to ClimateProgress that, “massive snowfalls can be produced by a combination of warmer Atlantic Ocean temperatures and increased water vapor,” as featured in the Washington Times article, Nor’easter Fuels Debate on Whether Snow Means More Change in Climate. Warming of oceans could actually be making it easier for snow to fall.
It’s important to take scientific theories with limited evidence such as this one with a grain of salt. The correlation between winter precipitation and climate change has not been investigated in great detail yet. However, that does not mean we shouldn’t be mindful of our impact on the environment . According to CBS News, the industrialized world releases 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per second. More CO2 gas is produced than can be recycled by every anaerobic plant on planet Earth. Human impact on the world is far from unnoticeable.
