Climate Change Part 4 (From Worcester News)

Climate Change Part 4

11:38am Tuesday 2nd March 2010 in

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OUR climate is always on the change, about 18,000 years ago, northern Europe, Asia and North America lay beneath a thick layer of ice. Then 10,000 years ago, the ice melted and retreated and the weather warmed up, we now live in an interglacial period, a warmer slot between the ice ages.

I believe that climate change is a combination of natural forces, changes within the sun and of course man made influences. Add these three elements together, and we have the source of vast variability in our weather, which creates major and minor changes within a long or shorter time span (glacial and Interglacial periods).

The weather machine is a very complex system which is driven by the heat from the sun, creating various air currents around the globe. It is when these air currents are interfered with and changed when we notice how fickle and finely balanced our weather is.

The upper jet stream can change it's pattern around the two temperate zones of the world, bringing unusual climatic events to some locations. The weather and airflow affecting one part of our globe can influence patterns elsewhere. In the summer of 1976, the jet stream was locked in a pattern which brought a season of prolonged heat and drought.

We must understand that a trend to warmer conditions has it's ups and downs, in all trends the weather machine can also bring the opposite, we have now witnessed three consecutive wet summers in a row and two cold winters , this is the way trends work.

Next....Climate Change Part 5

Glossary: Southern Oscillation:

A change in the circulation of air between the tropics due to temperature differences in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is closely linked to El Nino.

Weather for coming week Monday 1st March-Friday 5th March

High pressure over France into England and Wales will bring settled weather for the first half of week with sunny skies, low pressure later this week bringing the increasing threat of some wintry showers later. Overnight frost can be expected. Winds light early then moderate north then easterly later on.

Maximum temperature......7-9c

Minimum temperature.......Zero to Minus 3c.

Last Week's Observations (Monday-Sunday)

Highest day temperature........12.2c on Wednesday 24th February

Lowest night temperature.......Minus 2.3c on Sunday 28th February

Wettest day..............................4.1 mm on Friday 26th February