Recent extreme weather and Climate Change - update
After two months of incessant and record breaking rainfall Britain is now waterlogged. Literally. All ground aquifers are not just full up, water is being forced out of the ground under pressure at the same time as rain continues to fall from the sky.
We're famous for talking about the weather in casual conversation but it has been headline news now for weeks. Every day. Things are now so serious, and in so many parts of the country, that the government has cleared other business to focus on the domestic crisis.
Even if it stopped raining tomorrow, flooding from ground aquifers will continue for months. But it isn't going to stop raining. We are stuck in a cycle of vicious jet-stream-driven Atlantic storms that shows no sign of changing anytime soon. Another severe storm is going to hit later this week.
Normally the jet stream takes this weather much further north where it doesn't matter. It's the same jet-stream that has been causing the terrible winter in the Northern United States. Even Americans have started complaining about their weather - on this site! And they've been doing this for weeks! This is anti-American. It's unconstitutional!
Britain invented weather. Well, we invented weather forecasting As an island nation we've always needed to know what's coming our way. We spend a huge amount on weather forecasting. This is done by the Met Office, a government dept since 1854 and closely linked to the MoD. These are not amateurs. They train many forecasters from around the world. They have the most qualified and experienced climate scientists and two IBM supercomputers for global climate modelling. The "butterfly effect" means you have to model the whole planet if you are to be a serious and effective weather forecaster.
And this is what they said today:
"This series of winter storms has been exceptional in its duration, and has led to the wettest December to January period in the UK since records began. Heavy rains combined with strong winds and high waves led to widespread flooding and coastal damage, causing significant disruption to individuals, businesses and infrastructure.
The severe weather in the UK coincided with exceptionally cold weather in Canada and the USA. These extreme weather events on both sides of the Atlantic were linked to a persistent pattern of perturbations to the jet stream, over the Pacific Ocean and North America.
The major changes in the Pacific jet stream were driven by a persistent pattern of enhanced rainfall over Indonesia and the tropical West Pacific associated with higher than normal ocean temperatures in that region. The North Atlantic jet stream has also been unusually strong; this can be linked to exceptional wind patterns in the stratosphere with a very intense polar vortex.
...recent studies have suggested an increase in the intensity of Atlantic storms that take a more southerly track, typical of this winter's extreme weather. There is also an increasing body of evidence that shows that extreme daily rainfall rates are becoming more intense, and that the rate of increase is consistent with what is expected from the fundamental physics of a warming world. "
The full report is here. If you have a view on global warming and climate change you should read it
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/1/2/Recent_Storms_Briefing_Final_SLR_20140211.pdf
- 1
12 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now