http://globalwarming.solveyourproblem.com/melting-glaciers.

shtml

How Do Melting Glaciers Cause Other Natural Disasters?

We have all heard about global warming, but many of us probably do not understand all that can come as
a result of this phenomenon. One of the palpable effects of global warming can already be seen: the
melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers. Climatologists and other researchers have been warning us for
many years about the dangers of global warming, especially what can happen with the melting of the
polar ice caps and the glaciers.

What can happen with the melting of the polar ice caps and the glaciers? There are many
natural disasters that climatologists believe can occur as a result of the melting polar ice caps and
glaciers. What are these disastrous results? The melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers include an
insurgence of volcanic eruption, an increasing amount of tsunami, and an increase in the number of
global earthquakes.

No one will be spared by the effects of global warming and global climate change, climatologists tell us.
Even those populations in the northern climates who have been spared from the Atlantic hurricanes and
other natural disasters will not be spared in the future, scientists warn us. According to these
researchers, human populations in the northern climates should brace themselves as well for seismic
climate changes.

How will the melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers affect the way we live? How can we
expect that our global climate will change in years to come? It appears that when glaciers start to melt,
which are very heavy sheets of ice, they create a type of glacial pressure. As can be assumed, glacial ice
is very heavy and thick. That means that they place a strong pressure on the surface of the earth.
However, when the glaciers begin to melt, and they are melting at a faster rate than ever due to global
warming, the glacial pressure that is natural begins to dissipate. What happens when glacial pressure
begins to be reduced due to global warming?

When glaciers melt, the pressure they once exerted upon the surface of the earth becomes dramatically
reduced. When this happens, geologists tell us, all sorts of things can happen. All kinds of geologic
reactions occur when glaciers begin to melt. For instance, many of the geologic reactions that are
thought to occur include an increase occurrence in tsunamis (which are caused by underwater
earthquakes), an increase in earthquakes, and all kinds of volcanic eruptions.

How can this be possible? Think of the weight of a thick glacier. Imagine the stress and earth that it is
exerting upon the earth. The heavy pressure that a large and heavy glacier has on the earth can often
help to suppress certain geological phenomena, including earthquakes. Now imagine the thick glacier
melting. The glacial pressure that once existed is no longer there, weighing upon the earth. When the
glacier ice melts, this can often trigger an insurgence in earthquakes.

It is possible that with the melting glaciers, humans will note an increase in earthquakes and other major
seismic events. Other evens that can occur because of melting glaciers include underwater landslides
and tsunamis. Although we all remember the tsunamis and underwater earthquakes that have surged
and caused so much disaster in recent years, most people have not made the connection between the
effects of global warming and the latest seismic events.

However, most scientists are in agreement that global warming is happening, and that it is
happening right now, and fast. We can expect global warming to continue to cause melting of
the polar ice caps and glaciers, and we can expect that the glaciers and polar ice caps can cause
a series of seismic events, including many more earthquakes.

Global Warming (Basicshttp://globalwarming.solveyourproblem.com/global-

warming-basics.shtml)
   
There is little debate that the earth is undoubtedly warming. It has been the subject of intense debate for
decades now. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and industrial gases from fossil fuels play a
huge role in why our environment is changing so rapidly. With projections of an increase between 2.5 and
10.5 degrees by the year 2100, it is really nothing to take lightly. According to some scientific studies, the
main gas causing global warming, CO2, or carbon dioxide, has increased in our atmosphere by as
much as 30 percent over the last 100 years. That is a significant increase to say the least.

Causes of Global Warming

The number two source of pollution to our atmosphere is undoubtedly transportation. In fact, cars and
other vehicles represent at least 20 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Power plants also play a huge role in polluting the atmosphere. Nearly 600 of the United States power
plants do not have to play by new emission standards, what they like to call are “grandfathered” in. This
means there is no cap on smog and acid rain producing pollutants that can be emitted from these
plants. Power plants actually account for 36 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 32 percent of
mercury emissions.

Consequences of Global Warming

Sea level rise, which will eventually increase beach erosion and flooding from coastal storms.

Precipitation changes are inevitable which will increase or decrease the risk of droughts and floods all
over the world. Significant storms are already on the rise.

Deadly heat waves will continue. The summer of 1995 when 669 people died from heat exposure, and the
250 in the summer of 1999 was just a sign of things to come.

There are obvious threats to biodiversity and to public health as well.

Evidence that Global Warming has Begun

Shifting ranges of infectious diseases - Diseases that were not known to be a problem in areas such as
the United States have shown their ugly head. Malaria has been reported as far north as New York, New
Jersey and Michigan. Sea levels have risen between 4 and 10 inches in the last century. The destruction
of beaches and wetlands are also taking place around the world. Glaciers and significant snow melt has
been taking place on 5 continents since 1995, 5,400 square miles to be exact. Summer droughts and
winter floods are becoming the norm. Storms are becoming more frequent and more brutal, hence
Hurricane Katrina. What if the recent rise in infectious disease was caused by the increase in
temperature? Scientists believe it definitely plays a role in this and in the plant and animal shifts
throughout different parts of the world. Living things are simply trying to adapt to the changing
environment and they will ultimately kill humans through sickness and disease. For example, as the
climate changes, disease carrying mosquitoes and other rodents move to new areas and in turn infect a
population of people. Diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, West Nile virus and dengue fever will
continue to be on the rise in all areas of the world, including the United States.

The only way to reverse the affects of global warming, and prevent further damage is to change how we
power our economy. Most importantly, fossil fuels will have to be replaced with organic, non-toxic
materials for our world’s vehicles. This of course, is already in the works in several areas of the world.
The semi-recent release of hybrid electric and gas vehicles is just one example.

Myths and Facts on Global Warming

http://globalwarming.solveyourproblem.com/myths-facts-global-warming.shtml

Global warming can definitely be a contentious topic that gets people talking. It is also a topic that is
riddled with all kinds of myths and facts. Here is an overview to some of the most common myths and
facts that come up in many discussions that have to do with the issue of global climate change.

Myth: Global warming is not real.

Fact: The fact is that for most of the world, the issue of global climate change is very real. Global warming
is a phenomenon that has been described the world's leading scientists, and the global scientific
community has come to a consensus. They have agreed that global warming indeed exists; that it is
caused by human activity; that it is happening right now; and that if our world's leaders do not take
immediate action, global warming can have dramatic and devastating effects on this world.

The issue of whether global warming is for real or not is an interesting one that merits further discussion.
Many skeptics believe that there are many uncertainties that have to do with global climate models. Many
of these skeptics believe that there is a lot that we simply do not know or understand about the role that
the oceans play in global warming. They also emphasize that there is a lot that we still do not know about
the biota involved, the role that clouds play, and that we still do not know enough about the chemistry of
the earth's atmosphere to assume that global warming is really happening. Many of these skeptics also
believe that the so-called evidence for global warming has been overplayed. They emphasize the cyclical
nature of weather and climate change, and protest taking enormous and costly steps to stop a
phenomenon that may or may not exist.

In response to these criticisms, the 1992 Earth Summit commission put together and released a new
principle titled the 'precautionary principle.' As its name implies, the precautionary principle states that the
precautionary principle should be widely applied to the issue of global warming and the environment on
the whole. The precautionary principle emphasizes the need for further study, but states that the need for
further study should not stop leaders and the world community at large to take action against a perceived
threat. In short, the precautionary principle is roughly equivalent to the old adage: better to be safe than
sorry.

Myth: Global warming exists, but we don't have to worry about it for several more decades, if not
hundreds of years more. In other words, global warming is a distant threat and we should not panic in
the face of such severe predictions and projections.

Fact: Even though many in the media speak of global warming as a future threat, the truth is that global
warming began during the Industrial Revolution. The truth is that global warming is already happening.
Scientists have measured the shorelines and they are receding. The polar ice caps and glaciers have
already begun to melt. Moreover, we can actually measure the rise in temperature. Other evidence of the
effects of global warming can be seen in the lasting droughts in the American Southwest, the longer and
more intense hurricane season in the Atlantic, the greater number of undersea seismic earthquakes and
tsunamis as well.

In short, there is ample scientific evidence that global warming is happening right now. Although it is true
that panic is not conducive to thoughtful action, it is true that immediate steps should by taken by world
leaders and global community at large to stop the threat of global warming from growing out of our reach
until it is too late to do anything about it.

Global Warming is Affecting Weather

http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/What-is-Global-Warming/Global-Warming-is-Causing-Extreme-
Weather.aspx

Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, hurricanes stronger and
droughts more severe.

This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global
warming in our everyday lives. People who have the least ability to cope with these changes--the
poor, very old, very young, or sick--are the most vulnerable.
 

Heat Waves
Global warming will bring more extreme heat waves. As the United States warms another 4 to
11°F on average over the next century, we will have more extremely hot summer days. Every
part of the country will be affected. Urban areas will feel the heat more acutely because
asphalt, concrete and other structures absorb and reradiate heat, causing temperature to be as
much as 10°F higher than nearby rural areas.

Find out more about global warming and heat waves >>

Extreme Allergies 

Unchecked global warming will worsen respiratory allergies for approximately 25 million
Americans. Springtime allergies to tree pollens are projected to get worse. In the fall, ragweed
is projected to thrive and become more irritating under increased carbon dioxide levels. These
potential impacts of global warming could have a significant economic impact: allergies and
asthma already cost the United States more than $32 billion annually in direct health care costs
and lost productivity.

Find out more about global warming and extreme allergies>>

Winter Weather

Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter weather in the northern United
States. Winter is becoming milder and shorter on average; spring arrives 10 to 14 days earlier
than it did just 20 years ago. But most snowbelt areas are still experiencing extremely heavy
snowstorms. Some places are even expected to
have more heavy snowfall events as storm tracks shift northward and as reduced ice cover on
the Great Lakes increases lake-effect snowfalls.

Find out more about global warming and winter weather >>
 

Drought

Global warming is shifting precipitation patterns and also increasing evaporation rates. These
trends will create persistently drier conditions in some places, including the American
Southwest. At the same time, they will intensify the periodic droughts that affect other regions
of the country. These longer and drier droughts will have major consequences for water supply,
agriculture and wildlife. Although the American Southeast is typically thought of as having
abundant water supplies, recent droughts have served as a wake up call for the region.

Find out more about global warming and water shortages in the Southeast >>
 
Wildfires

Catastrophic wildfires just waiting to happen. This is the situation now facing the American
West. Wildfire frequency, severity and damages are increasing because of rising temperatures,
drying conditions and more lightning brought by global warming, combined with decades of fire
suppression that allowed unsafe fuel loads to accumulate, a severe bark beetle infestation that is
rapidly decimating trees and ever expanding human settlements in and near forests.

Find out more about global warming and wildfires >>

 

Floods

Global warming has caused more heavy rainfall events in the United States over the last few
decades along with an increased likelihood of devastating floods. While no single storm or flood
can be attributed directly to global warming, changing climate conditions are at least partly
responsible for past trends. Because warmer air can hold more moisture, more and heavier
precipitation is expected in the years to come. At the same time, shifts in snowfall patterns, the
onset of spring and river-ice melting may all exacerbate some flooding risks.

Find out more about global warming and floods >>

 

Hurricanes

Stronger hurricanes, heavier rainfall and rising sea level: this is what global warming has in store
for the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The latest science indicates that maximum hurricane wind
speed will increase 2 to 13 percent and rainfall rates will increase 10 to 31 percent over this
century. At the same time, sea-level rise will cause bigger storm surges and further erode the
natural defenses provided by coastal wetlands that buffer storm impacts.

Find out more about global warming and hurricanes >>

 

Extreme Weather and Climate Justice

More and more Americans will be living in places highly vulnerable to weather and climate
extremes as population continues to grow rapidly in cities, along the coasts and in the South.
Racial and ethnic minorities will be disproportionately impacted because their populations are
concentrated in these places. For example, 56 percent of African Americans live in the Southern
United States or in urban areas. Furthermore, global warming will add further stress to existing
problems in urban areas, in particular poverty, inequities in access to health care, aging
infrastructure and air pollution.
Opening Statement
http://severe-
wx.pbworks.com/w/page/15957981/Droughts-
and-Heat-Waves
 

Worldwide draught cause more deaths than any other

     
weather disaster. The annual average of costs and losses
from floods and hurricanes in the United States
combined is less than the average annual costs and  
losses from drought in the United States. On average,
drought causes $6-8 billion in losses and other expenses
in the United States alone. Drought has caused mass
migrations that have shaped the demographics of the
United States. During the 1930s over 2.5 million people Drought in Ethiopia results in anima
fled the Great Plains for the west coast because the
severity of the drought (www.drought.unl.edu). Drought Source: www.Guardian.co.uk
not only affects humans but thousands of animals also
die during drought as shown in the picture to the left.
Drought is very relative to location because every place
on the earth has a slightly different ecosystem and
therefore drought affects each place differently.
 
 
 
 

    There are three different types of droughts. The first

type is meteorological drought is when the precipitation
is below average for an extended period of time. The
second type is Hydrological drought is an unusual lack
of groundwater in an area. The third type of drought is
Agricultural drought is when there is a lack of moisture
in the soil making crops unable to grow normally. 
Drought in the central and eastern United States is based
upon spring and summer weather while drought in the
west is based on weather during the winter. The main
cause of drought is the lack of precipitation. Three types of drought

Source: www.eea.europa.eu
               One of the leading causes of weather related
 
deaths are heat waves, which often accompany drought.
By definition a heat wave is unusually high temperatures  
over a period of time. On average 237 people die each
year from heat related issues because intense heat  
aggravates many illnesses and causes sunburn, heat
cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat strokes  
(http://www.nws.noaa.gov). One of the worst heat waves
in United States history took place in July 1995 where
over 1,000 people died during the heat wave. Compared
to other heat waves it was relatively short lasting only
four days, July 12-15. The reason it was so deadly was Deaths in Chicago heat wave of 1995
because Chicago was near the core of the heat wave,
which when added together with urban heat island effect Source: www.eetd.ibl.gov/insurance-
resulted in extremely high temperatures. The diagram to research/tech.html
the right shows the amount of deaths during the heat
wave. During the 1930s the United States Great Plains
suffered through heat waves that led to the droughts in
the Dust Bowl that were previously discussed. Some
people believe that with global warming we will see an
increase in the amount of heat waves, but this is yet to be
proven true. Some models actually say the opposite and
claim we will have more precipitation then usual with
global warming which will reduce the amount of heat
waves. The only thing that has been proven so far is that
nighttime temperatures in urban areas have been
increasing. Either way heat waves or droughts still do
occur and affect millions of people every year.

Description
 

           Droughts and heat waves are some of the most   

destructive and devastating meteorological phenomena on
the planet and yet they are some of the hardest to identify.
Throughout history, droughts and heat waves have been a
significant area of concern for scientists because they are
the number one cause of fatalities worldwide and yet are
still quite ambiguous to identify.  A drought is a
significant deficit in moisture due to lower than normal
rainfall amounts and a heat wave is an extended period of
above average temperatures (1). However, it is hard to
say exactly when a drought begins or ends because they
produce complex effects that accumulate slowly and
interact with the resource demands of humans for fresh
water.

        Drought can be measured by several different indices but

there is no universal amount of rainfall that signifies a drought. A
drought is evaluated by measuring the amount of precipitation,
temperature, and soil moisture data, for the present and past
months. Using this data, meteorologists can calculate a Palmer
Drought Severity Index, which presents all of the data in an easy to
understand index. Values of the PDSI range from -6.0 (extreme
drought) to +6.0 (extreme wet conditions).  Using this index along
with several others, the National Drought Monitor releases weekly
maps that portray the current drought conditions across the country.

U.S. Drought Monitor for October 28, 2

http://www.drought.gov

 
       As seen in the map at the right, droughts vary in size and  
severity depending on the conditions in the region. In the figure
shown, there is currently a severe drought in the southeast United
States that covers a huge expanse. However, there are also several
smaller regions where drought is influencing a few counties. Even
though a drought may not be too severe, its societal impacts are
still undeniable; on average, droughts cost the U.S. economy 6-8
billion dollars in lost crops and other agricultural resources (2).
While droughts are not as easily visible as tornados or hurricanes,
they cause a significant amount of damage to our crops and our
thus, our economy.  Another reason droughts can be so costly is the
length of their lifetime. Depending on the severity, droughts can
last years and be devastating to our economy such as the Dust Bowl
of the 20’s and 30’s. Others can be as short as a few weeks to a
month.  
 Major Past droughts
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_tem

 
         From year to year there is always at least one region of North  
America experiencing drought conditions. However, during certain
time periods severe droughts arise that last several years and cause
fundamental changes to the economy of the United States.  For
example, the drought of 1950 in Texas changed the methods for
irrigation. Due to the fact that ground water levels dropped 50-100
feet, farmers had to dig wells that fed sprinkler systems in order to
keep their crops irrigated. The figure at that right shows the results
of these irrigation methods as seen by satellite.
        It is often found that heat waves are found with droughts,
however neither directly causes the other. Heat waves on their own
are destructive in that they claim around 237 lives a year but when
combined with a drought they can be extremely deadly (3).  One
way that meteorologists attempt to warn people about heat waves is
through the Heat Index. This allows meteorologists to calculate
what it “feels like” outside using the temperature, relative
humidity, and location.  Depending on the heat index the National
Weather Service can issue a heat advisory (3). 
      Briefly, heat waves are formed by the absence of a polar air
mass; heating of the surface due to the lack of cloud cover, dry
ground, and the vertical mixing of air. Because dry ground is an
ingredient for heat waves, there is a large positive feedback
between heat waves and droughts. In other words, the presence of a
drought intensifies a heat wave and a heat wave intensifies a
drought. Therefore, the two often come in a deadly combination.

Sources:
(1)- www.drought.gov
(2)- www.drought.unl.edu/risk/us/compare.htm
(3)-http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/heat/index.shtml

 
Effects of drought on 1950's Irrigatio
  www.googlemaps.com

NOAA's National Weather Service Heat I

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/heat/index.h
  
     
 
 

Formation
          Although droughts and heat waves have similar characteristics and are often
associated with one another, the truth remains that they are quite distinct in both their  
causes and formation.  At times they may occur simultaneously, one triggered or
sustained by the other, but it is not uncommon for one to be present independently of the
other due to separate meteorological triggers.  Of course, tangible triggers are difficult to
determine in these sorts of weather phenomena thanks to their relative effects depending
on the “normal” climate of a given location.  However, once formed the effects of droughts Heat Wave A
and heat waves can be extremely dangerous. 
          Droughts are some of the most difficult weather phenomena to forecast. The
existence of a drought is associated with “large-scale upper-air waves, the jetstream, and
subtropical high-pressure systems,” (1).  Specifically, the jetstream is typically located
above the affected area, and high-pressure systems exist in the North Atlantic and North
Pacific oceans.  Ocean surface temperatures have also been found to potentially predict
the occurrence of a drought, but it is still relatively uncertain as to how exactly.  The two  
high-pressure systems in the oceans are joined by another that will form around the
region that the drought will develop.  This will result in a number of things.  First, any
moisture from above or below will be directed around the system keeping it dry, and the
clear skies sustained by the high pressure will keep the region warm.  These conditions US
are prolonged due to the dry ground, which prevents evaporation allowing the ground to Moniter for
absorb more of the energy from the sun.  The severity of the drought can be measured by August 2
the Palmer Drought Severity Index.  This index is “a measure of moisture deficiency
standardized to local climate conditions,” (1) and can normally range from -4 to +4 (2). 
Until some form of precipitation finds a way to permeate this system, it has the potential
to dramatically decrease the amount of moisture available in the area.  In addition, the
warm conditions may escalate, creating the increased probability of a heat wave. 
            The affects of a heat wave can be particularly devastating as the temperatures in
a given region rise to dangerous levels.  Again, this is completely relative to the normal
conditions of the region.  In general, there are four factors associated with the  
development of a heat wave, although “all four need not be present simultaneously,” (1). 
The first involves the location of the jetstream.  It should be above the affected area
disallowing polar air masses to reach the region.  Second, a high-pressure system may
exist generally to the east permitting the surface to be heated in the absence of moisture. 
A third related factor is a dry ground, which facilitates the heating of the surface.  The
fourth and final factor is the amount of vertical mixing of the air.  Specifically, weak Rising Tem
vertical mixing produces strong stability and the continuance of humidity near the
surface. 
Sources:

(1) - Severe and Hazardous Weather: An Introduction to High Impact Meteorology (Bob Rauber, John Walsh, D
Charlevoix)

(2) - http://www.drought.noaa.gov/palmer.html

 
 
Destruction
            Deaths associated with
drought are often attributed to food
and water shortages rather than
from people being directly exposed
to the elements and losing their
lives.  Droughts do have very high
monetary cost though, and
according to the chart on the right,
from the National Drought
Mitigation Center droughts on
average cost more than floods and
hurricanes in the United States each
year (http://drought.unl.edu/risk
/us/compare.htm) . In other
countries though droughts cause
can cause hundreds and thousands
of deaths. In poor countries that
rely on local agriculture as their
main food source a drought can
leave the country without food,
which leads to starvation and death.
Fortunately the United States is a
large country and our agriculture
industry is expansive and
advanced, so unless a drought hits
the entire country, which is not
common, our food supply will be
marginally impacted. Smaller
countries are not as fortunate and
drought can shut down all
 
agriculture leaving the country
vulnerable. Poorer countries often
 
rely on help from other countries,
the United Nations, and other
international originations to step in
and help.
            The worse drought in
United States history was from
1930 until 1936, which hit the
Great Plains. Combined with the
Stock Market crash of 1929 and
horrible economic conditions the
drought was the worst weather
disaster in United States history.
Part of the reason the drought was
so awful was because of bad
farming techniques used leading up
            Deaths associated with
drought are often attributed to food
and water shortages rather than
from people being directly exposed
to the elements and losing their
lives.  Droughts do have very high
monetary cost though, and
according to the chart on the right,
from the National Drought
Mitigation Center droughts on
average cost more than floods and
hurricanes in the United States each
year (http://drought.unl.edu/risk
/us/compare.htm) . In other
countries though droughts cause
can cause hundreds and thousands
of deaths. In poor countries that
rely on local agriculture as their
main food source a drought can
leave the country without food,
which leads to starvation and death.
Fortunately the United States is a
large country and our agriculture
industry is expansive and
advanced, so unless a drought hits
the entire country, which is not
common, our food supply will be
marginally impacted. Smaller
countries are not as fortunate and
drought can shut down all
 
agriculture leaving the country
vulnerable. Poorer countries often
 
rely on help from other countries,
the United Nations, and other
international originations to step in
and help.
            The worse drought in
United States history was from
1930 until 1936, which hit the
Great Plains. Combined with the
Stock Market crash of 1929 and
horrible economic conditions the
drought was the worst weather
disaster in United States history.
Part of the reason the drought was
so awful was because of bad
farming techniques used leading up
 
Case Study
   While droughts are by no means the most glorified weather phenomenon, they are by far
the most costly and even the most deadly. Droughts are the number one weather related
cause of death in the world even though they are rarely publicized as much as other weather
phenomena. One such occasion where a drought has left its mark on society was the Dust
Bowl of the 1930’s. During this time a drought covered nearly the entire Great Plains for
nearly an entire decade. More interesting than the weather behind the drought was the  
societal impact of it. As it is well understood, the 1930’s were already a period of economic
volatility following Black Tuesday October 29, 1929 and the crash of the stock market.  
Having the destructive forces of drought wreck havoc across the Great Plains only worsened
the situation and lead a massive decline in the U.S. economy.  
            The Great Plains was primed and vulnerable for a drought because of the poor land
management tactics of the 1920’s and before. In fact, the land settlement techniques of even  
100 years earlier were partly to blame for the vulnerability of the region. This is because
huge areas of land were given away to farmers who knew very little about the climate and
fertility of the soil. Also, the first flock of settlers came during a wet cycle and they thought
that was the normal climate for the region (1).  As a result, they just tried to grow more and  
more sucking the vital nutrients out the soil; this lead to soil erosion and massive dust
Dust Storm created fr
storms capable of traveling across the entire country. As crop prices fell, farmers were
drought
forced to grow more and more crops to make enough money. Farming submarginal lands http://www.takingitseri
often had negative results, such as soil erosion and nutrient leaching. By using these areas,
farmers were increasing the likelihood of crop failures, which increased their vulnerability
to drought. Overall, reductions in soil conservation measures and the use of poorer lands
made the Great Plains more vulnerable to wind erosion, soil moisture depletion, depleted
soil nutrients, and drought. (1)
As a result of this vulnerability, the Great Plains was struck with the most severe drought in
recorded history. While the Dust Bowl is referred to as one long drought, it is actually 4
distinct drought events: 1930–31, 1934, 1936, and 1939–40 that ran together in close
succession (2). As seen in the figure, almost all of the Great Plains was ravaged during this
time period.  In terms of cost, the Dust Bowl was the second most costly drought in history
behind the drought of 1988-89. However, it is difficult to calculate the exact costs because
of the other events occurring simultaneously such as the Great Depression. It is estimated
that over 2.5 million people migrated from the Great Plains to other areas of the country to
escape the wrath of the drought. This led to extensive settlement of the west coast that we
see today. Altogether, the most important effect of the Dust Bowl was the devastation that it
caused the U.S. economy. In a period of intense economic turmoil, a very low supply of
crops such as wheat only worsened the situation. People could not afford to buy the little
food that was available and thousands of farmers went homeless because of their low crop
yields.
            Overall, the poor land management and farming techniques of previous decades left
the Great Plains vulnerable to one of the worst droughts in U.S. history. With dry soil and
   While droughts are by no means the most glorified weather phenomenon, they are by far
the most costly and even the most deadly. Droughts are the number one weather related
cause of death in the world even though they are rarely publicized as much as other weather
phenomena. One such occasion where a drought has left its mark on society was the Dust
Bowl of the 1930’s. During this time a drought covered nearly the entire Great Plains for
nearly an entire decade. More interesting than the weather behind the drought was the  
societal impact of it. As it is well understood, the 1930’s were already a period of economic
volatility following Black Tuesday October 29, 1929 and the crash of the stock market.  
Having the destructive forces of drought wreck havoc across the Great Plains only worsened
the situation and lead a massive decline in the U.S. economy.  
            The Great Plains was primed and vulnerable for a drought because of the poor land
management tactics of the 1920’s and before. In fact, the land settlement techniques of even  
100 years earlier were partly to blame for the vulnerability of the region. This is because
huge areas of land were given away to farmers who knew very little about the climate and
fertility of the soil. Also, the first flock of settlers came during a wet cycle and they thought
that was the normal climate for the region (1).  As a result, they just tried to grow more and  
more sucking the vital nutrients out the soil; this lead to soil erosion and massive dust
Dust Storm created fr
storms capable of traveling across the entire country. As crop prices fell, farmers were
drought
forced to grow more and more crops to make enough money. Farming submarginal lands http://www.takingitseri
often had negative results, such as soil erosion and nutrient leaching. By using these areas,
farmers were increasing the likelihood of crop failures, which increased their vulnerability
to drought. Overall, reductions in soil conservation measures and the use of poorer lands
made the Great Plains more vulnerable to wind erosion, soil moisture depletion, depleted
soil nutrients, and drought. (1)
heavy soil erosion, the diminished rainfall for several years caused extreme drought that led
to dust storms, as seen in the figure, that left the Great Plains unviable for farmers.
According to most historians and meteorologists, the drought of the 30’s and the “Dust
Bowl” was the worst weather related disaster in U.S. history.
   While droughts are by no means the most glorified weather phenomenon, they are by far
the most costly and even the most deadly. Droughts are the number one weather related
cause of death in the world even though they are rarely publicized as much as other weather
phenomena. One such occasion where a drought has left its mark on society was the Dust
Bowl of the 1930’s. During this time a drought covered nearly the entire Great Plains for
nearly an entire decade. More interesting than the weather behind the drought was the  
societal impact of it. As it is well understood, the 1930’s were already a period of economic
volatility following Black Tuesday October 29, 1929 and the crash of the stock market.  
Having the destructive forces of drought wreck havoc across the Great Plains only worsened
the situation and lead a massive decline in the U.S. economy.  
            The Great Plains was primed and vulnerable for a drought because of the poor land
management tactics of the 1920’s and before. In fact, the land settlement techniques of even  
100 years earlier were partly to blame for the vulnerability of the region. This is because
huge areas of land were given away to farmers who knew very little about the climate and
fertility of the soil. Also, the first flock of settlers came during a wet cycle and they thought
that was the normal climate for the region (1).  As a result, they just tried to grow more and  
more sucking the vital nutrients out the soil; this lead to soil erosion and massive dust
Dust Storm created fr
storms capable of traveling across the entire country. As crop prices fell, farmers were
drought
forced to grow more and more crops to make enough money. Farming submarginal lands http://www.takingitseri
often had negative results, such as soil erosion and nutrient leaching. By using these areas,
farmers were increasing the likelihood of crop failures, which increased their vulnerability
to drought. Overall, reductions in soil conservation measures and the use of poorer lands
made the Great Plains more vulnerable to wind erosion, soil moisture depletion, depleted
soil nutrients, and drought. (1)
http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0815-hurricanes.html
Hurricane intensity linked to global warming
mongabay.com
August 15, 2006

A new study says climate change is affecting the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes and that
hurricane damage will likely worsen in coming years due to increasing ocean temperatures.
Unlike recent studies that have linked higher sea temperatures to an increase in the number
of hurricanes, the new research shows a direct relationship between climate change and
hurricane intensity.

The study, published by James Elsner

of Florida State University in the
August 23 issue of Geophysical
Research Letters, the journal of the
American Geophysical Union, found
that a correlation between average air
temperatures during the June through
November hurricane season and sea
surface temperatures that help fuel
hurricanes winds. Elsner says his work
"helps provide verification of a linkage
between atmospheric warming caused
largely by greenhouse gases and the
recent upswing in frequency and
intensity of Atlantic hurricanes,
including Katrina and Rita."
In early August, forecasters at the National Ocean and Atmospheric
Administration's National Hurricane Center revised downward slightly their early-
season predictions of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Citing atmospheric and
oceanic conditions less conducive to hurricane formation than they initially
expected, the center decreased its predictions of named storms (12-15 instead of
13-16), hurricanes (7-9 instead of 8-10), and major hurricanes (3-4 instead of 4-6).
The revised prediction is still above-normal compared to the long-term average.
This pair of images from Japan's Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for
EOS Aqua satellite shows areas where sea surface temperatures were hurricane-
ready on August 14, 2006 (top), and August 1 (bottom). Sea surface temperatures
warmer than a threshold of about 28 degrees Celsius (about 82 degrees Fahrenheit)
are one of the required ingredients for hurricanes to form. Areas where waters have
reached the hurricane-ready threshold are yellow or red in these images, while
areas where waters are generally to cool to support hurricanes are blue. Coastal
areas where temperatures were not measured are light gray.
"The large increases in powerful hurricanes over the past several decades, together with the
results presented here, certainly suggest cause for concern," he said. "These results have
serious implications for life and property throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and portions of
the United States."

"I infer that future hurricane hazard mitigation efforts should reflect that hurricane damage
will continue to increase, in part, due to greenhouse warming," Elsner said. "This research is
important to the field of hurricane science by moving the debate away from trend analyses
of hurricane counts and toward a physical mechanism that can account for the various
observations."

Data questioned

Nevertheless, while Elsner's findings lend support to the contention that warmer
temperatures will produce stronger hurricanes, they will not settle long-standing concerns
among some scientists.

While several studies published since early 2005 have linked recent climate warming to the
increasing occurrence and strength of hurricanes over the past thirty years, the research
has proved controversial since some scientists say the system for tracking storms is flawed.
They argue that storm data from 20 years ago is not nearly as accurate as current hurricane
data making it nearly impossible to accurately compare storm frequency and strength over
the period.

"Before aircraft and satellite monitoring were available, the Atlantic hurricane data are likely
woefully underestimated - except where a hurricane ran directly over a ship or coastal
community and there were meteorological observations of pressures and/or winds
recorded," Chris Landsea, a scientist as the NOAA National Hurricane Center, told
mongabay.com. "Given that ship captains did their best to NOT sail into the eye of
hurricanes, there is a very large underreporting bias in our databases during the late 19th
and early 20th Centuries, except for hurricanes at landfall along populated coastlines.
Disentangling trends due to bias in the hurricane dataset and possible global warming
induced changes is then very problematic."

The new paper fails to steer around this controversy since it compares average global near-
surface air temperature and Atlantic sea surface temperature with "hurricane intensities"
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic basin hurricane
database (HURDAT) over the past 50 years. Climate researchers are currently working to
re-analyze existing tropical cyclone databases to address these concerns.

"What data we do have - and there certainly are biases in HURDAT that need to be
addressed storm by storm - suggest that the middle of the 20th Century was about as busy
as the last active 11 years have been (1995 to 2005)," Landsea added. "Disentangling
trends due to bias in the hurricane dataset and possible global warming induced changes is
then very problematic."

RELATED NEWS ARTICLES

Global warming link to hurricanes challengedChris Landsea, a

storm researcher at the National Hurricane Center, and colleagues argued in a paper
published in the journal Science that improvements in technology now allow forecasters to
produce more accurate estimates of a storm's power, meaning that more hurricanes are
now recognized as Category 4 and 5 storms than prior to the 1980s. They said that the
storm databases used by researchers who found links between hurricanes and warmer sea
temperatures contain inaccurate information.

Hurricanes getting stronger due to global warming says study Late last month an
atmospheric scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a study in Nature
that found hurricanes have grown significantly more powerful and destructive over the past
three decades. Kerry Emanuel, the author of the study, warns that since hurricanes depend
on warm water to form and build, global climate change might increase the effect of
hurricanes still further in coming years.

Birthplace of hurricanes heating up say NOAA scientists The region of the tropical Atlantic
where many hurricanes originate has warmed by several tenths of a degree Celsius over the
20th century, and new climate model simulations suggest that human activity, such as
increasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, may contribute significantly to
this warming. This new finding is one of several conclusions reported in a study by scientists
at the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., published today in
the Journal of Climate.

Global Warming Fueled Record 2005 Hurricane Season Conclude Scientists Global warming
accounted for around half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical
North Atlantic in 2005, while natural cycles were only a minor factor, according to a new
analysis by Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR). The study will appear in the June 27 issue of Geophysical Research
Letters, published by the American Geophysical Union.

US denies hurricane link with climate change Harlan Watson, chief climate control negotiator
for the U.S. State Department, told the Associated Press that the Bush administration does
not blame global warming or climate change for extreme weather -- including the hurricanes
that thrashed the Gulf earlier this year.

Hurricane Katrina damage just a dose of what's to come The kind of devastation seen on
the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina may be a small taste of what is to come if emissions
of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2 ) are not diminished soon, warns Dr. Ken
Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology in his opening remarks
at the 7th International Carbon Dioxide Conference in Boulder, Colorado, September 26,
2005.

Hurricane could hit San Diego San Diego has been hit by hurricanes in the past and may be
affected by such storms in the future according to data from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While a hurricane in San Diego would likely produce
significantly less damage than Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it could still exact a high
cost to Southern California especially if the region was caught off guard.

Fewer hurricanes predicted for 2006 season William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of the
Colorado State University hurricane forecast team issued a report today reducing the
number of storms expected to form in the Atlantic basin this season. However, the
researchers still call for above-average hurricane activity this year and expect above-
average tropical cyclone activity in August and September. That's despite an average start
to the season with two named tropical storms forming in June and July.

2006: Expect another big hurricane year says NOAA The 2006 hurricane season in the north
Atlantic region is likely to again be very active, although less so than 2005 when a record-
setting 15 hurricanes occurred, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA).

 Scientifically Global Warming is defined as process that will lead in rising Earth’s
temperature. This reason for rise in Earth's temperature is attributed to an increase in
greenhouse gases. The reason for increase in green house gases is attributed to the
human activities. The temperature of Earth is rising at alarming levels.

 The term global warming was probably first used in its modern sense on 8 August
1975 in a science paper by Wally Broecker in the journal Science called "Are we on the
brink of a pronounced global warming?". Broecker's choice of words was new and
represented a significant recognition that the climate was warming; previously the
phrasing used by scientists was "inadvertent climate modification," because while it
was recognized humans could change the climate, no one was sure which direction it
was going. The National Academy of Sciences first used global warming in a 1979
paper called the Charney Report, it said: "if carbon dioxide continues to increase, [we
find] no reason to doubt that climate changes will result and no reason to believe that
these changes will be negligible."The report made a distinction between referring to
surface temperature changes as global warming, while referring to other changes
caused by increased CO2 as climate change. This distinction is still often used in
science reports, with global warming meaning surface temperatures, and climate
change meaning other changes (increased storms, etc..)

 Global warming became more widely popular after 1988 when NASA scientist, James
E. Hansen used the term in a testimony to Congress. He said: "global warming has
reached a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a cause and
effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and the observed warming." His
 testimony was widely reported and afterward global warming was commonly used by
the press and in public discourse.

 Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air
and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. According to
the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F)
during the 20th century.[2][A] Most of the observed temperature increase since the
middle of the 20th century has been caused by increasing concentrations of
greenhouse gases, which result from human activity such as the burning of fossil fuel
and deforestation.[3] Global dimming, a result of increasing concentrations of
atmospheric aerosols that block sunlight from reaching the surface, has partially
countered the effects of warming induced by greenhouse gases.