Why were the 1930s so hot

More records were set in , and Click to enlarge. He was part of an international team of scientists that published the findings this week in Geophysical Research Letters. The most recent global record, set in , easily surpassed a record set just one year earlier. The first two months of appear to have broken monthly temperature records. The team of scientists used earth models to simulate likely temperatures for each year since Some model runs simulated the effects of greenhouse gas pollution present in the atmosphere at that time; others did not.

By comparing the results, the researchers concluded it was more likely than not that greenhouse gas pollution played a role in setting all of the last 16 yearly global temperature records. The warming effects of fossil fuel use and deforestation remained relatively slight 80 years ago, when compared with the heavy hand they have played in rapid-fire records set more recently.

The Atlantic warming off Nova Scotia and Maine meant southerly winds shifted further north-east and the transport of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Central US was weakened. At the same time, the Pacific Ocean warming expanded a large Pacific high that also contributed to reduced transport of moist air into the central US.

Should this ocean warming reoccur in exactly the same constellation, because of climate change it is likely the temperature impacts would be even more devastating and those old records may be surpassed. Materials provided by University of New South Wales.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Journal Reference : Markus G. Donat, Andrew D. King, Jonathan T. This can reduce the thermal efficiency of power production, which makes it difficult for power plants to comply with environmental regulations regarding their cooling water. Climate change is contributing to more frequent, severe, and longer heat waves during summer months across the United Sates.

The number of heatwaves observed in and were triple the long-term average, and require planning for economic, health and ….

View Details Download pdf, 1 MB. Tags Impacts Science Extreme Weather. Climate Basics » Extreme Weather. Heat Waves and Climate Change. Increase in Total U. Heat Wave Days. Threats Posed by Extreme Heat Extreme heat can increase the risk of other types of disasters. Human Health Extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States, killing an average of more than per year from , more than all other impacts except hurricanes combined.

Agriculture High temperatures at night can be particularly damaging to agriculture. Energy While higher summer temperatures increase electricity demand for cooling, at the same time, it also can lower the ability of transmission lines to carry power, possibly leading to electricity reliability issues during heat waves. Installing cool and green roofs and cool pavement to reduce the urban heat island effect.

Planting trees to provide shade and evapotranspiration cools the air around trees. Pursuing energy efficiency to reduce demand on the electricity grid, especially during heat waves.