So, who remembers those few days at the end of July and early August when the weather was so hot that it was unbearable to even be outside? We were into the 100’s temperature-wise, and the humidity was very high. It should come as no surprise to us that that World Meteorological Organization has proclaimed 2006 the sixth warmest year since 1880, when readings started to be recorded.
The United Nations weather agency tells us that the mean temperature worldwide was about 0.42 degrees Celsius above the annual average of 14 degrees Celsius, covering the years 1961-1990. Since 1900, the average global temperature has climbed 0.7 degrees Celsius. Most notable, though, is that since 1976 the average global temperature has gone up by 0.18 degrees Celsius per decade.
Hole in ozone layer. Photo courtesy of NASA.
Could this steady rise in temperature be due to the hole in the ozone layer?
According to Paul Newman, who is an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, “From September 21 to 30, 2006, the average area of the ozone hole was the largest ever observed, at 10.6 million square miles.”
Huge number?? I’ll say.
Interesting to note is that it is not only heat that is causing depletion of the ozone layer. It is also due in part to very cold winters. January 2006’s cold temperatures caused approximately a 20% loss of ozone near the Arctic. The loss was even greater in 2005.
Global warming is causing steady decline in the amount of sea ice present in our oceans. This is due to the ice melting (an endothermic change, IR light is absorbed).
Last year, we began 2006 with unusually mild temperatures. The summer was also unusual, with many parts of the world experiencing heat waves. These caused droughts to occur in Brazil and China, destroying crops and taking a big toll on their economies. In some places such as Australia, there have been consistently dry areas for the past 5-10 years. The Australian Conservation Foundation deems it necessary that we cut emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere if people wish to curb the droughts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted yet another warmer-than-average winter, and with it being early January and currently 50 degrees outside in Chicago, we would have to say that the NOAA has been pretty accurate in its prediction.
It seems like average annual temperatures worldwide have been increasing steadily. This leaves us expecting that they will continue to increase unless action is taken to prevent the hole in the ozone layer from getting larger. Not that we necessarily hate the idea of having milder winters…even so, we need to consider the future of the world’s environment.
Source: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2007/2007-01-03-02.asp
