The extreme weather changes throughout the years across the United States are continuing to climb. From extreme droughts in one state to excessive rain in others, the climate change is steadily increasing. These changes are due to human activity and causing serious issues.
Everywhere you look – from car companies to food companies – there are advertisements for going green and saving the planet. Gone is the day where these are simply personal causes or hobbies – they have become global issues and causes, and the weather patterns are screaming at us to take action quickly. The California drought and the weather changes in Alaska are all screaming at us to stand up or wake up and take notice.
Barrow Alaska
The city of Barrow in Alaska has seen a lot of visitors lately; however, these visitors are not made up of only tourists. They are made up of scientists. For years now, scientists have taken interest in the climate change in the city of Barrow. The importance of ice, its formation and its arrival and the changing climate are the subject of vital importance.
This area has been warming up at record speeds and the results are having extreme negative impacts that trickle down. Melting ice impacts the environment on many levels such as the forests, ecosystems and waterways. The ice that once acted as protection from the sea for coastal towns is now melting away, leaving cities exposed to coastal storms and coastal erosion.
NASA’s Terra Satellite Map
Earlier in May, this map showed part of Alaska was actually hotter than part of Texas. Hard to believe. Eagle, a little town in Alaska had higher temperatures one day toward the end of May than Houston.
As Arctic sea ice heats up, so did the temperature in Eagle, Alaska. The climate in Alaska is heating up and is hotter than average.
The Highs and the Lows
While certain parts of Alaska observed record warm temperatures in the month of May, other areas recorded snow in June. Temperatures from 90 degrees in May dipped down to below 30 degrees in the first week of June.
After experiencing a warmer than usual winter, Alaska is breaking temperature records this spring, as well. The expectation from the National Weather Forecast is that a higher degree of melting will continue as the trend.
Barrow typically sees temperatures in the 20s during May, but reached up to 47 degrees instead. Eagle had a nice stretch of 80 degree or higher weather while Anchorage experienced its hottest April on record and Fairbanks had a record-breaking 86 degree day.
Alaska and Earthquakes
When you think of Alaska, you may not associate earthquakes with the 49th state. Most people associate places like California with earthquakes; however, Alaska does and has experienced its share of earthquakes with a magnitude 6.7 as recently as May of this year.
In 1964, however, Alaska experienced a magnitude 9.2 earthquake with resulting tsunami and landslides. While some people may not be aware that Alaska even has earthquakes, for those who experienced this one, it was an unforgettable event coming in as one of the world’s largest earthquakes recorded.
Global warming is a term heard on the daily, as well as going green. Years ago, people associated going green with a hobby or simply taking up a cause as the term “tree hugger” became popular.
It’s obvious the warming trend, ice melting in Alaska and higher temperatures are having their impact. With the current trends in Alaska including the most recent earthquakes, it stands to reason that going green, becoming a tree hugger and doing our part to stop global warming are no longer hobbies. These things are a way of life, not so much as a lifestyle but a desperate action plan to maintain, preserve and sustain life – not only for Alaska, but for the planet as a whole.
