Coldest Week So Far
This week is predicted to be the coldest week so far this year. Beginning of February.
Did you know that the reason it is colder after the winter solstice is because the earth’s oceans store heat during the summer and gradually lose that heat in the fall. Winter is marked by the point when there is a lag after the shortest day and the time when the oceans start to increase their retention of heat. Surely, it is much better to go on vacation in August, about a month after the summer solstice, for the opposite reason.
I started thinking about energy and warming which got me thinking about why the planet is warming when, at the same time, we’ve seen an increase in particulates from forest fires and other pollution. That particulate matter will block the sun’s rays, causing cooling, but scientist say that the carbon dioxide gases store the heat. I am not sure if the layer of particulates is causing the earth to retain the heat because I am not 100% clear on how the heat leaves the atmosphere. I am also a bit unclear on how different man-made greenhouse gases are to water vapor which makes up a significant amount of the atmosphere.
It is surely a complex issue. One thing is certain. We have less ice and the amount of ice is reducing every year. Fish populations are moving. Shorelines are changing. Water levels are rising. And, some say that by reducing the amount of ice increases the surface area that absorbs heat and keeps it, causing overall temperatures to increase.
