Energy and Weather

Among the scientific community there is really no legitimate debate about climate change.

The data is clear, there is a warming trend.

There is also almost no debate that human activity in releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere is contributing to this trend.

Sometime we hear people try to argue that there are natural cycles at work, and of course that is true, but in addition to those we have a clear increase in carbon in the atmosphere that is caused by a number of human behaviors.

We really can't do much about the natural cycles but we can alter our behavior.

What is actually happening when we hear about the greenhouse effect caused by this carbon?

Well it creates a reflective barrier which allows solar energy in, but reduces the amount that escapes.

The increased temperatures are causing massive ice melts that in the not so long term are going to flood significant amount of coastline.

Energy also causes weather events.

Now climate and weather are not the same, but they are certainly related.  It may seem counter intuitive that more trapped heat can result if greater blizzards but it does.

The more solar energy we trap the stronger weather systems we create.

Of course ultimately this impacts our climate.

When you read how a particular storm or rainfall was a once in a century event or extremely rare, only to see it repeat well within a century or more than rate, its because our historical data is based on eras when we had less energy.

Their ability to predict frequency of future events is questionable.

That we will see stronger events is though quite predictable,