In recent months, I've noticed that my own state, Arizona, known for its "not so cool" temperatures even in the winter, is so. cold.
As I began research about the gripping colds in the midst of an increasingly hotter planet, I realized that most of us recognize extreme weather changes, but don't understand the science and importance behind them.
Where is this shocking cold coming from?
When a jet stream directs to the south, it carries the significantly cold Arctic air alongside it. This gust of air travels down to the U.S., where we then experience an extreme cold front. However just above the jet stream sits the polar vortex, which contains an abundance of strong winds. Once the vortex travels north, it takes the existing warm air in the area alongside it. According to Laura Paddison, a senior climate writer at CNN, "The polar vortex is like a spinning top. [...]But it can get disrupted and knocked off course, becoming stretched and distorted, spilling out cold air and influencing the path of the jet stream."
Essentially the unusual decrease in temperature is caused by the delicate nature of the air circulation above us. Additionally as the Earth warms, circulation becomes weaker, pushing more of the Arctic air to the south.
Global warming is causing an increase in extreme cold as a result.
My thoughts
With global warming creating more extreme outbursts of cold storms, it's scary to experience more accounts of your environment changing. Through this confusion, we should realize the lack of understanding that we hold for our planet. Without knowing what exactly the issues are, or why they've started, we cannot start to make a change. In a world where we are starkly divided on the issue of global warming itself, I encourage you to open your mind about the Earth, recognize its beauty, and also realize the changes that are happening with it. Before coming to an assumption on the planet's heath as a result of your political stance, separate yourself from the influences around you and rather, take the time to educate yourself and form your own opinion.
Even though I constantly research the environmental issues within my planet, it still took me a long time to understand the issue with this icy weather. This confusion inside me caused me to realize the fear of not knowing, both in the unpredictable weather and in the unpredictable challenges that environmentalists are thrown with constantly.
Our Earth is changing rapidly and although there's no definite solution to the problems it faces, we must persist to understand its complexities in the hope for progress and work together to make more meaningful strides towards protecting the future of our planet.
