A New York Times reporter decided to lecture readers on the difference between climate and weather, illustrating how a “polar vortex” can bring frigid weather to the U.S. even in a warming world.
‘“It’s bone-shakingly cold, how could the Earth be warming?’” NYT reporter Tatiana Schlossberg wrote, posing as a skeptic before answering herself: “We’ll tell you how.”
Schlossberg explains that a “polar vortex” is really just the polar jet stream that occasionally brings freezing air down to the U.S. — and, of course, she mentions how this could become more frequent with more global warming.
And don’t forget, there’s a difference between weather and climate. She explains:
Well, for starters, there is a difference between weather and climate. Climate refers to the long-term averages and trends in atmospheric conditions over large areas, while weather deals with short-term variations, which is what happens when the polar vortex visits your hometown.
And of course, an Arctic blast can still occur in a warmer world. The air that comes down from the North Pole might not be as cold, Ms. Barthold said, but it would still be the product of the same phenomenon.
Some studies suggest that climate change could actually make these frigid waves of Arctic air more common, a result of shrinking sea ice. However, other scientists remain skeptical of this theory.
And the earth is definitely warming: Temperature records show that, by the end of last year, the earth’s surface had warmed by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the 19th century. But even though the earth’s surface is warming, scientists say that winter will still exist
She ends with:
So, if, for instance, a senator (perhaps James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma) brandishes a snowball on the floor of the Senate to dispute the validity of climate science when a chill wind blows through Washington, you will know that the unseasonably cold temperatures he is talking about do not mean that global warming is not happening.
It is.
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