Page 28 - aruba-today-20161217

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 17 december 2016

Global warming’s fingerprints seen in 24 weird weather cases

SETH BORENSTEIN culated whether the odds
AP Science Writer of the extreme weather
WASHINGTON (AP) — events were increased by
A new scientific report global warming.
finds man-made climate They based their calcula-
change played some tions on observed data,
role in two dozen extreme understanding of the phys-
weather events last year ics of the climate and com-
but not in a few other weird puter simulations — tech-
weather instances around niques that the National
the world. Academy of Sciences said
An annual report released were valid earlier this year.
Thursday by the National Columbia University me-
Oceanic and Atmospheric teorology professor Adam
Administration found cli- Sobel, who was on the
mate change was a fac- national academy panel
tor, however small or large, but not part of this report,
in 24 of 30 strange weather praised the NOAA study
events. but noted it wasn’t com-
They include 11 cases of prehensive.
high heat, as well as un- It picked only certain but
usual winter sunshine in the not all weather extremes
United Kingdom, Alaskan to study.
wildfires and odd “sunny In this Sept. 30, 2015 file photo, a hotel guest carries his shoes as he is escorted to his car along For the February 2015
in Miami Beach, Fla.
day” flooding in Miami. Associated Press Northeast cold snap, other
The study documented scientists have connected
climate change-goosed “It has to be measureable. Nigeria and India — the The report also found an in- the polar vortex pushing
weather in Alaska, Wash- It has to be detectable. scientists could not detect crease in tropical cyclone south to shrinking ice in the
ington state, the southeast- There has to be evidence climate change’s effects. activity and strength in the Arctic Ocean.
ern United States, Canada, for it and that’s what these Other scientists, though, western Pacific can be Judah Cohen, seasonal
Europe, Australia, China, papers do,” said NOAA disputed that finding for blamed partly on climate forecasting chief at Atmo-
Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lan- scientist Stephanie Herring, the cold snap that hit the change and partly on El spheric Environmental Re-
ka, the western north Pa- co-editor of the report. Northeast. Nino, search in Lexington, Mas-
cific cyclone region, India, In six cases — including Herring highlighted the Mi- the now-gone natural sachusetts, said he even
Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia cold snaps in the United ami flooding in September weather phenomenon. But predicted the 2015 polar
and southern Africa. States and downpours in 2015. Because of rising sea similar storm strengthening vortex because of the low
levels and sinking land, ex- hasn’t increased notice- sea ice.
tremely high tides flooded ably around the United He said the same thing is
the streets with 22 inches of States yet, said study co- happening with the bit-
water. editor Martin Hoerling, a ter cold hitting the U.S. this
“This one is just very remark- NOAA scientist. week.
able because truly, not a The report was published in NOAA’s Hoerling said the
cloud in the sky, and these the Bulletin of the American research found a connec-
types of tidal nuisance Meteorological Society. tion between the shrinking
flooding events are clearly Using accepted scientific ice and the polar vortex
become more frequent,” techniques, 116 scientists but didn’t see one causing
she said. from around the world cal- the other.q