Monday, March 5, 2012

Global warming & tornados

While those who believe in Santa Claus & the tooth fairy continue to deny global warming based on their political views, scientists, including from establishments like NASA, use computer models to chart the relationship between climatic conditions & tornadic activity based on the physical sciences. As the planet warms, more moisture evaporates from oceans into the atmosphere providing a combustible element for storm systems. The Gulf of Mexico, with above average sea surface temperatures, is the main moisture source for storm systems moving east from the Rockies to the Appalachians in the Tornado Alley where US tornados are most frequent. In this area, there are often hundreds of tornados recorded per month. The recent ones have killed 39 people so far & taken out entire towns. Somehow, these children in Harrisburg, Illinois have managed to find humor in a situation of devastation as they sit on the porch of their grandmother’s home, display a prosthetic leg found in the wreckage,  & post, “for sale fixer upper”. (Photo by Stephen Lance Dennee/AP)

2 comments:

  1. Nice to see that someone at AP can tie the upsurge in tornadoes to global warming.

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  2. That isn't an AP comment, buh; all the commentaries are mine. The photo is AP.

    ReplyDelete