July 09, 2010
Dave Miceli is right (Readers Respond, July 9) that heat in summer and snow in winter are normal for Maryland. But both heat and snow have been reaching extremes that are not "normal" but are part of a disturbing climate trend.
This May was the warmest on record in the 20th century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They report that the "combined global land and ocean surface temperature for May was the warmest on record, at 1.24°F (0.69°C) above the 20th century average of 58.6°F (14.8°C)." The NOAA also reports that the combined land and ocean surface temperature for the first five months of 2010 was the highest ever recorded, putting this year on pace to set a new annual record.
One of the effects of a warming climate is increased precipitation — which, yes, includes snow in winter. And we had two record-breaking snowstorms this winter (Dec. 19, 2009, and Feb. 5 and 6, 2010). This past spring brought record flooding from New England, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Tennessee (as well as in China and Brazil).
Because of a warming climate, Arctic Sea ice melted faster than in any other May on record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Ice reflects heat, while open water absorbs heat: So less Arctic ice means even more global warming. Glaciers are also melting at record rates.
People like Dave Miceli are in denial, and the sad thing is that everyone will suffer — not only the skeptics, who "deserve" it, but also those of us who are willing to face the challenge of addressing climate change. Too bad we don't have a second planet so that the skeptics can stay here and "enjoy" the increasing heat, floods, droughts, hurricanes, snowstorms, etc. while the rest of us can live in a tolerable environment.
Elizabeth Fixsen, Savage
