United States Climate Change
United States Climate Background
Because it is such a large country, the contiguous United States has a wide range of climates. However, it has a continental climate, with cold winters (often bitterly cold) and hot summers (often scorching), with season lengths varying according to latitude and distance from the sea. There are, however, some exceptions on the west coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the climate is cool and damp in the northern part and Mediterranean in the southern part on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
the climate is mild in winter and hot and muggy in summer, while in Florida, it is almost tropical the mountainous areas are cold in winter and cool to cold even in summer and finally, the climate on the east coast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is cool and damp in the northern part and Mediterranean in the southern part; and finally
Because there are no barriers to cold air masses from Canada, practically the entire country can experience abrupt cold waves in the winter, though the severity and length vary by region. In the south, when the temperature descends to a few degrees below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) in winter, cold spells last a few days, whereas they are powerful and occasionally extended in interior areas, the highlands, and the north-east. Summer heat waves can sometimes be brutal, particularly in inland places. With the exception of the rainy north-central Pacific coast, the western half of the country is generally drier than the eastern half.
While the Western United States is dominated by mountains and plateaus, with large arid and desert areas, the central-eastern half of the country is mostly flat or covered by hills and low mountains, with a humid and rainy environment. Given the breadth of the country, the climate variations are very striking.
Air mass collisions are common in the central-eastern region of the country, making the climate unstable in most of the country and causing violent weather events (storms, hail, blizzards, tornadoes). Canadian air masses are chilly and dry (though they do take up moisture when they pass over the Great Lakes), whereas Gulf of Mexico air masses are warm and humid.
The weather is chilly and rainy near the west coast and along the west-facing slopes in places like Seattle, Portland, and Eugene in the north-western states (Washington, Oregon). In the winter, average temperatures are around 3/5 °C (37/41 °F), but cold air masses from Alaska can occasionally visit.
United States Climate Change
Communities all around the United States are already feeling the effects of climate change. Rising oceans, more severe droughts, more intense heatwaves and wildfires, and greater storms all pose a threat to American cities and businesses. And if nothing is done about climate change, things will only become worse.
The move to renewable energy not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming, but it also presents economic opportunities in every state.
As the climate has altered in the United States, fire seasons have gotten longer. Wildfires are burning for longer than ever before, and the number of big flames that have erupted across the country has increased dramatically. Wildfires have been more common in recent years in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and California than in previous years.
Short-term droughts are predicted to worsen across the United States, while longer-term droughts are expected to worsen in significant areas such as the South West, the southern Great Plains, and the South East.Droughts are becoming more common as a result of climate change, with water levels in lakes and rivers across the country declining.
Floods are one of the most common and costly weather-related disasters in the United States, and climate change is generating greater flooding and severe rainfall across the country. Because of rising sea levels and increased storms, coastal areas are among the hardest hit.
United States Climate Change Affects
According to the 4th National Climate Assessment (NCA) and the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as reported by renowned experts. Attendees heard about how climate change is predicted to influence the United States, as well as how the federal, state, and local governments may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assist communities in adapting to rapidly escalating threats in the coming decade and beyond. They learned how climate change is affecting congressional districts and how they can profit from investing in low-carbon solutions and advanced planning to protect people, infrastructure, and businesses.
Climate change, which was formerly thought to be a problem for the far future, has already firmly established itself in the present. Corn farmers in Iowa, oyster farmers in Washington, and maple syrup producers in Vermont are all seeing climate-related shifts that are unprecedented in recent memory. Coastal planners in Florida, water managers in the arid Southwest, metropolitan residents from Phoenix to New York, and Native Americans on tribal grounds from Louisiana to Alaska are all affected.
The evidence of human-induced climate change continues to strengthen, and its repercussions are spreading across the country, according to the National Climate Assessment.
Americans are detecting changes in their surroundings. Summers are becoming longer and hotter, with protracted spells of extraordinary heat lasting longer than any American has ever known. Winters are usually milder and shorter. Rain falls in torrential downpours. People are noticing changes in the duration and severity of seasonal allergies, the plant varieties that thrive in their gardens, and the types of birds they observe in their neighborhoods at any given month.
Other shifts are substantially more pronounced. During storms and high tides, residents of several coastal cities see their streets flood more frequently. Flooding is more common in inland cities near large rivers, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. In some susceptible areas, insurance premiums are rising, while in others, insurance is no longer accessible. Wildfires in the West start earlier in the spring, linger longer into the fall, and burn more land due to hotter and drier weather and earlier snowmelt.
Summer sea ice that traditionally protected the coasts has decreased in Arctic Alaska, and autumn storms are now causing more erosion, threatening the relocation of many towns. Climate scientists confirm that these findings are compatible with significant shifts in the Earth’s climatic trends. Weather stations, satellites, ocean buoys, tide gauges, and a variety of other data sources have all confirmed that our country, like the rest of the world, is warming.
Precipitation patterns are shifting, sea levels are rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and extreme weather events are becoming more often and intense. Many lines of evidence show that human activities are mostly to blame for the fast warming of the last half-century. Warming and other climate changes are having far-reaching consequences in every corner of our country and across our economy. Some of these changes, such as a longer growing season in some places and a longer shipping season on the Great Lakes, may be beneficial in the near term.
However, many more are negative, owing to the fact that our society and infrastructure were created for the climate we have today and can expect in the future, not the fast changing environment we have now. Furthermore, climate change does not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it is layered on top of previous strains, resulting in new obstacles.
reference – NASA,UN.org,toolkit.climate.gov
recentclimate – United States Climate Change,United States Climate Change News