Posted on 05/23/2013 8:19:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Yes, climate change is happening. But it's hard to say that the tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma -- or any given tornado, for that matter -- was influenced by climate change.
Scientific research has not made a clear connection between tornadoes and climate change, said J. Marshall Shepherd, climate change expert and professor at the University of Georgia.
There is currently a much better understanding of how climate change increases the risks of droughts, heat waves and precipitation, he said. There are also indications that changing patterns may influence the intensity of hurricanes. But as far as tornadoes: There's just not a lot of information.
As far as the Moore tornado, "This tornadic storm, in my view, probably would have happened irrespective of whether there's climate change or not," Shepherd said. "The question is: Are we increasing the risk and probability of more extreme events in general as our climate differs?"
More research and discussion is needed about future warming and the environments that might produce storms, he said.
Trends in tornado occurrence over the last 50 years do not appear to have changed in conjunction with more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and patterns of rising temperatures, Shepherd said.
Beyond the climate change question, meteorologists don't know a lot about why some thunderstorms produce tornadoes and not others. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only about 1% of thunderstorms generate tornadoes. However, tornado prediction is advancing and evolving.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
That Senator from RI should have kept his mouth SHUT.
WOW! cnn gets it wrong again. Wait until james hansen hears of this. We all KNOW that glo-bull warming is the cause for whatever weather event occurs. NOT!
I wonder if “Bill Nye,The Science Guy” has ever seen evidence of tornadoes having occurred before the invention of the internal combustion engine in what is now “Oklahoma”.
Weather events used to be just weather. Now for Gore-Dims, weather = $$$$$ and votes.
You got to hand it to em, a brilliant strategy.
Perhaps someone is aiming HAARP at the Heartland...
Demonstrably false.
There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3624242/There-IS-a-problem-with-global-warming...-it-stopped-in-1998.html
Well, OK didn’t go for king hussein. But I’m sure none of his staff told him about it or maybe it was a couple of low level free lancing folks who just love his high-ness.
Ow! Geez, I just stubbed my toe.
Climate change.
But, but, Bill Nye the Science Guy said it happened because Man Made Global Warming causes Hot Air and Hot Air causes Tornadoes.
In related news, there were ZERO Tornados before the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
It is accurate to say the global warming(and cooling) are primary factors in nearly all weather events.
He said climate change, not global warming. Their new term is used so it can apply to anything and everything.
There is?
Predict where drought conditions and flooding will happen for the next 5 years in the USA and I will believe you.
“There is currently a much better understanding of how climate change increases the risks of droughts, heat waves and precipitation, he said.”
There is also a much better understanding of how climate change increases the risks of floods, cold waves and evaporation...
No need to read past that sentence.
“Scientific research has not made a clear connection between tornadoes and climate change, said J. Marshall Shepherd, climate change expert and professor at the University of Georgia.”
But, after he receives his next grant from NOAA, the NSF or the EPA, Dr. Shepherd will be certain to ESTABLISH a “clear connection” between tornadoes and “climate change”.
Climate changes. Nothing is really static.
Are humans contributing? Possibly.
Can the human impact be measured? Unlikely due to the amount of variables that are not measured or not measured accurately.
Is it high on the list of what we should be worrying about? Not at all.
Has it been politicized to push political agendas? Bingo - give the lady a cigar.
We have done much to clean up the human impact on our environment since the 1960’s and 70’s. The environmentalist factions needed new troops, new fears to whip impressionable young minds into joining their cause. You can’t see global warming/climate change. This made it the perfect bogyman to focus their attention. Because you can’t see it, you had to take the experts word that it was a problem that would lead to the destruction of civilization if we didn’t toe the line of the leaders.
Silly me. Weather IS “Climate Change”.
We have to implement Socialism now.
Drought - New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Texas.
Flooding - Upper mid-west, Pacific northwest, New England.
Where's my grant money?
Too rainy...climate change
Too dry...climate change
Too hot...climate change
Too cold...climate change
Tornadoes...climate change
Hurricanes...climate change...etc
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.