Study finds human and natural Arctic warming
(Credit: US CIA's World Factbook via Wikipedia.)
A new study finds that both humans and nature are contributing to the dramatic melting of Arctic ice.
Oceanographer James Overland told Earth & Sky that scientists have long understood natural cycles can combine with human causes to raise global temperatures. His study was aimed at finding out how much warming is caused by humans, and how much comes from nature.
James Overland: Basically, it’s the combination of the two together that’s so unusual and so important.
Nature has contributed to the warming. For example, a natural cycle of winds blowing toward the North Pole have carried warm air and clouds that trap heat. That unusual weather pattern has been observed by scientists for over the past 20 years. But nature can’t account for all the warming in the Arctic.
James Overland: We probably would not have reached these effects unless we had this background global warming. It’s very difficult to go back to the way we were 20 years ago.
Together, nature and Earth’s large human population have raised Arctic temperatures and reduced sea ice cover.
James Overland: You have to take the long term global warming trend and then add the natural variability on top of it, and combined they send you to a new climate state that we haven’t seen before.
That was oceanographer James Overland. Our thanks today to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Is Mr. Overland prepared to quantify the natural and man-made contributions. Were he to do so, some of the political controversy might be difused for we could see what effect going green will have on the peril of the Poles.
natural? you mean to tell me the republican party is not at fault?...imppossible!!