Extreme summer warming possible by 2080
The blazing hot sun over Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
The sea surface temperatures in the Pacific change from year to year, affecting the atmosphere. Photo:
Sarah Camp
A recent study has suggested that we can expect summers to get warmer in this century.
The study suggests that, by the 2080s, summertime temperatures in cities such as Chicago and Atlanta could hover above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, especially if the frequency of rainfall is below average.
Barry Lynn: When the sun comes in and heats the ground in our present day situation, a certain fraction of that energy then just goes back out to space. But in the future, when carbon dioxide concentrations are higher than they are today, a smaller fraction of that energy will escape to space.
That’s Barry Lynn of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. According to Dr. Lynn, increasing amounts of greenhouse gases could lead to changes in atmospheric circulation that could reduce rainfall in already hot summers. And less rainfall leads to still higher temperatures on the ground.
Barry Lynn: But if you have a forecast for fewer rainy days, then the ground actually warms up and then that energy is not able to escape back to space because the carbon dioxide concentrations are larger than they are today, and you can end up with much hotter, and even extreme temperatures.
Our thanks today to NASA: explore, discover, understand.
Accept human-caused global warming? ‘No choice.’
Are Americans ready to believe in global warming?
Scientist: ‘Warm spells’ due to global warming
Why global warming has left me dumbfounded a blog post by Deborah Byrd.
What you can do to help reduce greenhouse gases:
Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming from globalwarming-facts.info
Things you can do today to reduce Global Warming from Global Warming International Center
What you can do about global warming from Union of Concerned Scientists
Climate Change Solutions: What You can Do Right Now from Earthday Network
Our thanks today to:
Dr. Israel-Tzvi (Barry) Lynn
Institute of Earth Sciences
Hebrew University
Jerusalem, Israel
Additional Teacher Resources
NOAA: Education – Climate Change and Our Planet
This NOAA webpage provides items designed especially for students in grades K-12 to help them learn more about the planet they live on. It includes information on climate change.
EPA: Climate Change Kid’s Site
This EPA website provides students with climate change information, games, and animations.
NOAA Education: Climate Change and Our Planet
This NOAA webpage on climate change provides information and tools that educators can use in their classrooms.
NOAA: Global Warming – Frequently Asked Questions
This NOAA webpage explains many commonly asked questions about global warming.
