Technology
Climate change heating the Arctic could be to blame for Texas snowstorms, scientists reveal
RAPID heating in the Arctic could be responsible for the snowstorms that are battering Texas and other parts of the US and Europe.
This is according to scientists who claim there’s evidence of warming in the Arctic pushing cold frigid air away from the north pole and towards the US.
Wintry weather has been taking over southern states in the US[/caption]
Fountains have been freezing over in Texas[/caption]
The freezing weather in America has already resulted in several deaths and power cuts for millions of people.
Unsafe travel conditions have left many people stranded in southern states like Texas.
According to The Guardian, environmental expert Judah Cohen said: “The current conditions in Texas are historical, certainly generational.
“But this can’t be hand-waved away as if it’s entirely natural.
Many Texas residents have been left stranded in their homes[/caption]
Texas is usually associated with much warmer weather[/caption]
People have had to dig their cars out of the snow[/caption]
“This is happening not in spite of climate change, it’s in part due to climate change.”
Cohen is the director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research and co-authored a paper about the increase of snowstorms in the US north-east.
Many scientists agree with Cohen and the proposal that heating in the Arctic is disrupting climate systems and causing more winter storms.
Some people have been trying to have fun during the cold snap[/caption]
The north pole sits in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and cold air concentrates around this area in something called the polar vortex.
This vortex of cold air swirls over the north pole but can stray off course if something disrupts it.
Warming in the Arctic is thought to have upset the pattern of the Earth’s air currents known as the jet stream.
The freak cold weather is being associated with climate change[/caption]
The cold weather may be due to a wobble from the polar vortex[/caption]
Heavy snow has left many people stuck at home[/caption]
Scientists think the jet stream has impacted the polar vortex and caused it to shift and take the cold air with it.
A wobble in the polar vortex often occurs during winter in the Northern Hemisphere and sends cold Arctic air southward.
However, scientists think climate change is causing more disruption to the vortex and more extreme cold weather in areas that are usually much milder.
This change is being blamed for the heavy snow fall we’ve seen in parts of Europe as well as the US.
Global heating is also causing extremely hot summers and other dramatic weather patterns.
Scientists continue to monitor the polar vortex and how climate change could be impacting it.
Climate change explained
Here are the basic facts…
- Scientists have lots of evidence to show that the Earth’s climate is rapidly changing due to human activity
- Climate change will result in problems like global warming, greater risk of flooding, droughts and regular heatwaves
- Each of the last three decades have been hotter than the previous one and 17 of the 18 warmest years on record have happened during the 21stcentury
- The Earth only needs to increase by a few degrees for it to spell disaster
- The oceans are already warming, polar ice and glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and we’re seeing more extreme weather events
- In 2015, almost all of the world’s nations signed a deal called the Paris Agreement which set out ways in which they could tackle climate change and try to keep temperatures below 2C
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In other news, scientists have warned of a ticking time bomb in the Arctic that threatens to cause a climate catastrophe.
Scientists revealed this month that sea levels are rising 25 per cent faster than previously thought.
And, one of the world’s best-known mountains is cracking due to climate change, say scientists.
Are you worried about climate change? Let us know in the comments…
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