Jimmy Higgins
Contributor
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2001
- Messages
- 44,124
- Basic Beliefs
- Calvinistic Atheist
In my latest, and first (only?) piece on Climate Change(d), we discuss the issues that is whether Climate Change is the right term anymore and asking if we are in Climate Changed.
Take for instance, the Northwest North American heat wave, which caused the highest temperature ever recorded in Canadian history... and that happened in June. Portland, Oregon blew their all-time (not the record for the day, but for the year... any year) temp record by 9 degrees, which is the equivalent of some hockey player breaking Gretzky's scoring record by scoring 500 to 1,000 goals in a season.
Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.
Climate scientists are reviewing this heat wave, not merely because it was unusual, but suspecting it was actually near impossible without human intervention. One study indicted possibly 1 in a 100,000 year event. IE, this was extreme for an extreme extreme event. Another study suggests with the changes in our atmosphere, this could become a 1 in 5 or 10 year event, hence the past tense on changed. Temperatures that soared above 100 degrees for a week... in the Pacific Northwest known for its... well not getting that hot.
With Texas getting that extraordinarily cold spell in the winter, that really gives the feel of an atmosphere that is far from equilibrium, and the continual adding of more energy into it, via greenhouse gases that are increasing the temperature is going to make what has already happened get worse. We seem to be more on a rocket in motion, instead of the dreamy stop the ticking clock scenario. Time will tell if this is the new climate, sadly years will be needed. But with the all-time records, and monthly average records abounding, the climate appears to have changed and our continued effort of ignoring it, will lead to further change that could make survival harder and harder.
Take for instance, the Northwest North American heat wave, which caused the highest temperature ever recorded in Canadian history... and that happened in June. Portland, Oregon blew their all-time (not the record for the day, but for the year... any year) temp record by 9 degrees, which is the equivalent of some hockey player breaking Gretzky's scoring record by scoring 500 to 1,000 goals in a season.
Portland's high temps are interesting when looked at historically. There is a balance until about 1977, when the annual high gets above 100 degrees consistently. Then in 2021, they torch the record by 9 degrees! That is simply unheard of.
Climate scientists are reviewing this heat wave, not merely because it was unusual, but suspecting it was actually near impossible without human intervention. One study indicted possibly 1 in a 100,000 year event. IE, this was extreme for an extreme extreme event. Another study suggests with the changes in our atmosphere, this could become a 1 in 5 or 10 year event, hence the past tense on changed. Temperatures that soared above 100 degrees for a week... in the Pacific Northwest known for its... well not getting that hot.
With Texas getting that extraordinarily cold spell in the winter, that really gives the feel of an atmosphere that is far from equilibrium, and the continual adding of more energy into it, via greenhouse gases that are increasing the temperature is going to make what has already happened get worse. We seem to be more on a rocket in motion, instead of the dreamy stop the ticking clock scenario. Time will tell if this is the new climate, sadly years will be needed. But with the all-time records, and monthly average records abounding, the climate appears to have changed and our continued effort of ignoring it, will lead to further change that could make survival harder and harder.