A soupcon originally meant a suspicion in Latin. Later, it came to mean a touch of garlic in food some considered radical. Nowadays we might use it to mean a tasty treat. So we ask, is the northern hemisphere heatwave a suspicion of worse things to come?
Climate Change in the Northern Hemisphere
Places as far apart at Glasgow, Montreal, Lapland, and Tokyo have been experiencing extreme heat, The Conversation website reports. This coincides with a major drought resulting in wildfires devastating parts of Greece, Sweden, and Northern England.
Denmark expects to have the highest recorded July ever. What is going on? Is the heatwave the result of climate change? The jet stream responsible for moving northern hemisphere weather systems around has been misbehaving five miles above the earth. It has been weaker than normal, and slowed the arrival of low-pressure systems driving wind and rain over Europe. Is this why the heatwave is occurring?
How Could Climate Change Cause This to Happen?
For the past three months, the jet stream has remained in roughly in the same position over the Atlantic and Europe. Hence, the higher summer temperatures have remained, and the heat became more extreme.
Climatologists don’t yet have skills to infer a direct relationship. However, we already know that an increasing number of high temperature records are being noticed across the globe. Additionally, there is an increasing probability that human activity is causing this. Scientists predict that summers may become more extreme, as we surpass the 1ºC to 2ºC global mean temperature.
Our preliminary conclusion is the heatwave may not be a direct result of climate change. That said, the two events are happening at the same time. This appears to provide a heavy hint that climate change “is nudging the temperatures up, and increasing the odds of new heat extremes” as The Conservation concludes.
Related
Gulf Stream Stalls and Impacts Climate Change
Record High Temperatures Around the World
Preview Image: Jet Stream Over Canada
