Less Sea Ice Brings More Snow
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338792/title/Less_sea_ice_brings_more_snow
Monday, February 27th, 2012
Global warming is responsible for the Northern Hemisphere’s recent severe winters. As the artic melts, it sends cold air towards the equator and tries to produce snow. Despite the rising temperatures of the world, the Northern Hemisphere has had extreme winters during the last decade. There have been large snowstorms, and higher snow levels, also the Venice canals froze, which is a very unusual thing to see. This is explained by scientists, who have turned to natural climate changes, such as El Niño, which is the periodic warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean. By studying the atmosphere, scientists have been working out how changes in the sea ice could chill far away places. When the ice disappears, the darker ocean absorbs the sun’s energy, meaning that both the surface of the water and the air above it heat, which changes the ways that winds circulate through the atmosphere and forming a high pressure system. Disappearing sea ice may also provide more moisture for forming snow. Also, disappearing sea ice isn’t only thing driving the cold and the snow. Still, if sea ice melts further, big snowstorms may be in the forecast more often than not.
I chose this article, because it interested me, because it talks about a worldwide issue, it’s not just about a single place in the planet. I really like knowing what is going on in the planet, because I find it interesting. The article mainly interested me because I didn’t know that sea ice affected the way that the planet worked, and I didn’t know that the ice could actually make the sea and its surroundings hotter, instead of cooler. I can’t really relate this to my life, because I don’t live in any of the places that are being affected by this issue. Nevertheless I think that its very interesting and that everyone should be aware of these issues even though they aren’t living any of these phenomena.
The area of interaction to which I can relate this article to, is Environments. This is because it is something that is happening in our world, it is something that is happening in the environment of these animals. Environment is the one that fits the best with the article.
