Having recently learned
that the latest “deep freeze” across the US is likely the result of a Weak
Polar Vortex that some climatologists say is in all likelihood a direct result
of too much carbon having been released into the upper atmosphere, you might
guess the next logical step for the often materialistic American majority would
be to migrate south. After all we’ve
already expanded further than from “Atlantic to Pacific”. In other words as in the 19th century, when the
widely held belief was that Americans were destined to expand throughout the North
American continent, a renewed belief in “Manifest Destiny” could easily become
the next big change on the American expansion horizon.
This may sound a little
too far fetched to some, when considering that for the past 60 years or so many
Americans have lamented over the seemingly endless flow of our southern
neighbors’ illegal migration habit into the US.
Several US Political Candidates have successfully made both sides of the
issue an asset. Based upon the previous American expansion effort from “sea to
shining sea” our neighbor(s) to the south may, in the not so distant future,
face a similar dilemma from hungry and freezing Americans who are not only cold
but who are finding their annual growing season under the attack by a Weak Polar
Vortex caused by, of all things, “Global Warming”.
The recent (early
January – 2014) “Big Chill” being endured across most of the US of late,
according to many Climatologists may soon become the new norm. The other bad news is that the “Bread basket
of the world” which some claim to be currently located in the Middle American
state of Kansas and the worlds “Salad Bowl” presently located on the South
Central coast of California could end-up somewhere in the south of Texas or
even northern Mexico within a few decades.
One look at the weather
map below dated the 6th day of January 2014, coupled with the US weather Map of
even date displayed above tells the future of the upper “Ice Mansions” of the
United States and Canada too for that matter:
Although the previously
described sequence of events of aggression sounds in-conceivable or perhaps
simply impossible to comprehend, rest assured, such offenses by the US, likely
in alliance with Canada, could very well be just beyond the horizon.
The Polar Vortex, as
most of us have learned by now, is a fast flowing stream of air that circles
the North Pole during the winter months in the upper atmosphere, known as the
stratosphere. Basically when the Polar Vortex is strong, temperatures are relatively
mild in the mid-latitudes across the Eastern US; and when the vortex is weak,
temperatures tend to be cold across the Eastern US and beyond.
If a “Weak Polar Vortex”
is somehow the result of “hard times to come” we best hope that the twin terms
“Global Warming” and the results there of are nothing more than two words
plucked from the vast data banks of the English Language. Proponents of which are quick to point out
that Global Warming started long before the “Industrial Revolution” was ever
thought of, before the invention of the internal combustion engine, or the
burning of fossil fuels for generating electricity. These folks insist Global Warming
began some 18,000 years ago as the earth started warming its way out of the Pleistocene
(Pleis·to·cene) Ice Age; a time when
much of North America, Europe, and Asia lay buried beneath huge sheets of
glacial ice.
The climate of Earth
and the biosphere was in constant unrest in those days; being dominated by ice
ages and glaciers for several million years. Such advocates are certain that we
are currently enjoying a temporary reprieve from that deep freeze. This pattern currently allows or permits a
bumper crop of wheat in the mid-west of the United States and a nice peach crop
in places like Georgia.
You see, about every
100,000 years Earth’s climate warms up ever so briefly. These warm periods, called
“interglacial periods”, last somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 years before
regressing back to an ice age climate. The bad news is that if you start at sayyy,
year 18,000 ago and count forward, our current interglacial vacation from an
Ice Age is much closer to its end than its beginning.
In other words there’s
absolutely nothing modern man can do to prevent the ever changing cycle. In
short, according to this theory, burn all the high carbon emitting fuels to
produce electricity and such as much as you want; it doesn’t matter one way or
the other.
In an effort to prove
that their theory is right (yes it is just a theory), such advocates are quick
to point out that Global Warming has greatly altered our environment and the
distribution and diversity of all life on the planet. For example:
·
Approximately 15,000 years ago the earth
had warmed sufficiently to stop the advance of glaciers, and sea levels
worldwide began to rise.
·
By 8,000 years ago the land bridge
across the Bering Strait was covered by the sea, which in effect cut off the
migration of men and animals into North America from Asia.
·
Since the end of the last Ice Age, Earth’s
temperature has risen roughly 16 ° Fahrenheit, sea
levels have raised at least 300 feet, and forests have returned where for a
time there was only ice.
Back in the Ice Ages
winters were longer and much more severe than the winter of 2014 ever thought
about being; ice sheets grew to tremendous sizes, amassing a thicknesses of up
to 8,000 feet or more! They moved about ever so slowly from higher elevations
to lower levels of altitude; forced downward by gravity and their tremendous
weight. They left behind altered river courses, flattened landscapes, and at
their farthest advance, great piles of glacial rocks and boulders of all shapes
and sizes.
Over the last 3 million
years glaciers have at one time or another covered nearly 29% of the Earth’s
land mass or about 17.14 million square miles (44.38 million sq. km.).
During the Ice Age the summer
seasons were short and winters were brutal. All animal life and especially
plant life had a very tough go of it. Now, thanks to “Global Warming”, that’s changed,
at least temporarily.
Taking the last bit of
information into consideration and before you rush out and do something rash, you
should know that the idea that a Weak Polar Vortex is responsible for the
current (Jan. 2014) cold snap is a strong theory; not an absolute fact. As The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency focused
on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere, has said: “Many factors,
including random chaos in the development of weather patterns, can produce such
extreme winter events.” Sooo if you’re
wondering if recent bad weather events are a side effect of global warming and
should we expect more events like this in the future, well that’s a hotly
researched & debated topic. In
short, the answer is: Yes, it could be. The other short answer is no. A good guess as to why “NO” might be the
right answer is because it seems opposite to what seems obvious or natural; like
many arguable theories though, only time will tell – hopefully a long, long
time.
Wouldn’t you know it
there’s yet another theory . . . In fact most scientist say that Global Warming
is happening right now; is a relatively new thing, and man-kind is at fault of
it all.
These proponents point
out that the sea level everywhere is raising faster than years past. Large
wildfires are growing in number each year and dangerous heat waves are becoming
more and more common. Extreme storm events are increasing in many areas and more
severe droughts are occurring in others.
This school of thought
opposite to the earlier theory described says that these are but a few of the
consequences of Global Warming; and yes the results are already having
significant and harmful effects on our health, our environment, and our
communities.
Advocates of this
theory also argue that unless we take immediate action to address global
warming, these unfortunate events will continue to intensify, grow ever more
costly, and increasingly affect the entire planet — including that region of
the Earth we call Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Each of the past 35
years has been warmer than the overall average for the 20th century.
The 12 warmest years on record have each occurred since 1998. 2012 was the
hottest year ever recorded for the contiguous United States or the lower 48.
Supporters of this
theory point out that we (the industrialized world) are overloading our
atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which traps heat and is progressively driving
up the planet’s temperature. From where does this carbon come, you ask? If you
guessed fossil fuels we burn for energy you’d be only partially right — coal, oil,
and natural gas are the biggest culprits in that arena; add the internal
combustion engine used in the vast number of cars and trucks on America’s
roadways alone and a pollution source beyond compare is at-hand; then there’s the
loss of forests due to deforestation, especially in the tropics, which only
adds insult to injury.
Within the majority of
the scientific community, there is no debate: Overwhelmingly most climate
scientists agree that Global Warming is happening and that human activity can
be easily blamed.
Advocates of this
theory insist that this broad consensus — along with extensive scientific
evidence supporting it — is often downplayed or distorted by a small but vocal
minority of special interests that have a vested interest in delaying action on
climate change.
Assuming that the
latter theory of the two presented here is correct, perhaps we should
understand that we can only slow down the pace of Global Warming;
because a large part if the first theory presented here has to be true if we
are to believe the evidence found in Ice Cores and such by experienced and knowledgeable
Climatologists. Common sense suggests that we must act now to
reduce our carbon emissions, only then can we pass on a safer, healthier world
to our children.
Or on the other hand, we
can choose to do nothing, continue pumping massive amounts of carbon into an
already overloaded atmosphere, and suffer the increasingly costly consequences;
because you see, maybe we’re smart enough to realize that no matter what we
choose to do (collectively or otherwise), in the end, curbing carbon omissions
or no, the result is the same. In other
words, it’s a complete waste of time and an un-necessary burden on our fragile
economy too.
Sources . . .
http://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/climate-dynamics/polar-vortex-impact-winter-weather http://www.findlocalweather.com/weather_maps/temperature_north_america.html
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pleistocene?s=t
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Luis_Obispo_County,_California
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h337.html
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-polar-vortex-2014-1
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-polar-vortex-2014-1#ixzz2pffmLY6i
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