climate change in your area

[Spike2]

I live next door to the house where I was raised/called home. I am now 62 years old and can say that the weather has changed here. There isn't hardly any snow, not as much wind and not nearly as cold in the winter. The summer is much wetter with so much rain, but not as hot and not as muggy.

[bower]

In a sense, I feel as though the science of climate is only now unfolding before us - at the same time the consequences of so much CO2 in the atmosphere are also beginning to show. The shocking news is that even if we change our ways as soon as possible, we cannot avoid the consequences already under way. We are in for a bumpy ride, regardless, and the world is going to change, IMO, faster than expected.



At the same time, the impacts vary a lot from place to place. Some folks may not see a noticeable difference, and that is interesting to me as well.

Where I am, we're being affected by the melting of Greenland's glaciers - directly, as cold water and icebergs flow down here; and indirectly, by the "cold blob" which is now renamed "North Atlantic warming hole" - not a warm hole, a hole in the warming... brrrrr. which is now believed to affect the jet stream as well. We are having some warmer weeks in summer, more hot days than before, but also late and cold spring. This winter was all wet storms almost no snow but the spring is just brutal.

Considering we are famous for unpredictable weather and sudden changes, who knew it could get stranger yet.
And then I see what's happening elsewhere, and oh my, how could I complain about a bit of ice and snow.

[jtjmartin]

I’ve read both sides,have a science degree, and am a member of the American Chemical Society but wonder:

How did the earth warm before when fossil fuels weren’t used?
Overall, does the quality of life on earth improve during warming or cooling?
Overall, has using fossil fuels improved the quality of life and average life span or not?
How much would it cost to reverse warming?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

I’ve read both sides,have a science degree, and am a member of the American Chemical Society but wonder:

How did the earth warm before when fossil fuels weren’t used?
Overall, does the quality of life on earth improve during warming or cooling?
Overall, has using fossil fuels improved the quality of life and average life span or not?
How much would it cost to reverse warming?

From what I just read most scientist agree it cant be reversed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climat...ing_mechanisms

[slugworth]

I may actually have 4th of july tomatoes on 4th of july.

[jtjmartin]

"Secondly if there are strategies or innovations in your community . . ."

Raised beds have really helped even out the rain changes that we have experienced. My seedlings have easily survived above the heavy rains while those planted in a traditional garden just rotted. Also, burying wood below the raised beds (hügelkultur) reduces or eliminates the need to water during the fewer dry years.

When we moved here 14 years ago, the community was really worried about the water table level and summer rationing was common. The rivers that surround us are brackish - with a higher salt content during drought when less fresh water flows downstream. We haven't been close to rationing for the last decade.

[bower]

Those are nice strategies JTJMartin! I hadn't thought of hugelcultur for drought but it's a win-win by sequestering carbon as well. We have always used raised beds here, with 'wet' being the default condition.



The real difference between our present situation and previous warming phases of the earth is that previous warmings have taken place over very long time spans. There's nothing in the geological record to compare to the sudden change in atmospheric CO2 in the past century. So that makes it more difficult to anticipate the consequences in the short or long term. What I'm noticing in the science as it comes out is that the trends based on the most recent data is "faster than we anticipated". So the big question to my mind is, how well can we adapt and what should we do to avoid catastrophic consequence at the home and community level.

[Greatgardens]

Don't see much in the way of temp changes, except that Winter is probably a bit shorter and milder. We have always have quite variable seasons in IN. Perhaps stronger spring/summer storms, but I wouldn't even bet on that. I have no doubts that it is happening, but so far we are "winners" in the process.

[GoDawgs]

This is my 20th year of keeping weather data for this location. It cycles up and down. If it looks like maybe it's a year where I can push the envelope and set stuff out earlier, I'll start stuff earlier. Here are the graphs for actual highs and lows here for April and May. The UGA weather station that collects the data is 3 miles from here.





The sun is at a solar minimum which might be having an effect on the snowfalls this year. Mother nature's all over cycles are so much bigger and longer with centuries being a blink of an eye. I'm not worried.

[e.thad]

I'm just outside of Philly and I just want it to stop raining. Everything is wet and it can't dry out because it keeps raining. The weekend is prime gardening time and I feel like it rains every Friday making it too wet for Sat. and Sun.

As a casual observation it seems generally warmer and wetter than in years past. I hope it's more to do with the cyclical nature of weather patterns than global warming. Either way, the patterns seem to last longer. I'm not enjoying the present one.

[jtjmartin]

Originally Posted by e.thad

I'm just outside of Philly and I just want it to stop raining. Everything is wet and it can't dry out because it keeps raining. The weekend is prime gardening time and I feel like it rains every Friday making it too wet for Sat. and Sun.

As a casual observation it seems generally warmer and wetter than in years past. I hope it's more to do with the cyclical nature of weather patterns than global warming. Either way, the patterns seem to last longer. I'm not enjoying the present one.

Agree. Most of our east coast rain seems to hit Friday or Saturday making it tough!

Jeff

[sjamesNorway]

The summer of 2018 was the hottest and one of the driest in southern Norway ever. Dairy farmers had to slaughter parts of their herds because of a lack of feed. Daytime temperatures were around 90F from May through August. We're at 60 degrees north, which is comparable to the southern tip of Greenland or Anchorage Alaska (at 61 degrees).



I agree with mikemansker. I took a course in ecology in the late 60s, and was dropped a grade (to B) because I wrote in the final exam that mankind is too driven by short term gain to stem long term deterioration of the environment. I'm afraid I was right. I fear we'll inevitably pass the tipping point. (Things are accelerating faster than the scientist predicted.)


Steve

[Worth1]

If people think that an electric car is the answer they need to think again.
63% of the electricity in the US is made by fossil fuel.
If your area is powered by fossil fuel you are simply moving the carbon emissions from you to the supplier.
Not in my back yard isn't the answer and this seems to be the problem with most people.
That or ignorance of energy.
Hydro electric dams are not friendly either the concrete production plants put out a huge amount of Co2 to mention but a few of the environmental damages they do.
If the rivers dry up they wont be any good anyway.

The internet puts out a good amount of Co2.

[Nan_PA_6b]

We've been told in Pittsburgh, PA that our weather will eventually approximate the weather traditionally experienced in NC. We're transitioning from zone 6b to zone 7. And the rain is getting bad. I'm not used to every big rain storm bringing so much flooding and damage- either our infrastructure is crumbling or the storms are more damaging.

I do not want climate change. But since it's here, I'm kind of looking forward to growing zone 7 plants. Lots of stuff becomes perennial in zone 7. That will be the change I'll make in gardening.

I'm not looking forward to winters mild enough to allow the bugs to winter over.

[jtjmartin]

Originally Posted by Worth1

If people think that an electric car is the answer they need to think again.
63% of the electricity in the US is made by fossil fuel.
If your area is powered by fossil fuel you are simply moving the carbon emissions from you to the supplier.
Not in my back yard isn't the answer and this seems to be the problem with most people.
That or ignorance of energy.
Hydro electric dams are not friendly either the concrete production plants put out a huge amount of Co2 to mention but a few of the environmental damages they do.
If the rivers dry up they wont be any good anyway.

The internet puts out a good amount of Co2.

I think the only thing I fear more than climate change is man trying to reverse climate change! It seems like the "cure" is often worse than the disease.