In a new study out today in Science, researchers have found that the world’s water cycle has accelerated by 4% over the past 50 years. That might not sound like a lot, but it’s double what had been previously predicted, and this trend is an indicator of the potential for greater droughts and floods. Check out this New York Times writeup of the research, or this story in Scientific American.
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Even as studies show that the public is increasingly connecting extreme weather events to climate change, scientists are continuing to say “not so fast”. We need to consider the scales of these events across time and space. For example, in ATMO‘s John M. Wallace‘s op ed in the LA Times, he states that “large areas of the U.S. were just about as warm in March 1910 as they were in March 2012″. Read more here.
James Hansen, climate scientist and activist, has updated his analysis of how the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases is loading the climate “dice.” John Michael Wallace, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted. Read more here. While urban Seattleites may bemoan the ponds that used to be streets and sidewalks, the Cascades have received over 110 inches of snow – and that was just from March 9th to 15th! Good skiing prospects for this weekend… Atmospheric Science’s Cliff Mass is quoted. Read more here. Atmospheric Sciences Professor John M. Wallace published an op-ed in the AGU journal Eos, exploring the relationships between global warming and extreme events. What does one mean in relation to the other, and is the conversation useful? Check out the PDF here.
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