Snow of the Century! Could Global Warming really affect snowfall?

I'm sure all of you are aware of the crazy weather conditions that northeastern states, such as New York, are experiencing lately. Who knew that it could snow that much right outside our front door? I don't think it snowed this much in all the 14 years I've spent on this planet. In fact, it has snowed so much that New York broke the record of the snowiest January in New York history. During the last week in December, it snowed so much that I was trapped inside my house! We were snowed in! Eventually, we were dug out and once again had access to the outside world.

As the snow falls and falls, many people might be asking themselves, "How can it snow this much if we are going through Global Warming?" This is a very good question and I myself have pondered about this, too. So, let's ask the big question: What is Global Warming? Since 1880, the earth's temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. That may not seem like a big change, but the effects are huge and critical. Of course, the temperature of the earth has fluctuated throughout the centuries, but the problem with Global Warming is that it is happening too fast. Global Warming is also called Climate Change because the climate could change in other ways due to the rise in temperature. Storms could become stronger and it could snow more in some parts of the world.

How is it snowing so much if the climate is getting warmer? Some scientists believe that because of the warming of the oceans and the melting ice caps, more water is being evaporated into the atmosphere. Through precipitation, moisture is released from the clouds in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow, and the more moisture in the air, the more precipitation will fall. Usually when precipitation falls in an environment that is cold and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, snow falls. Therefore, the more water evaporates into the air, the more precipitation and snow. This may seem like it defies Global Warming, but that is also why Global Warming can be called Climate Change. Temperatures may be rising in some places, but not others. This is a very controversial topic and people argue for and against it. Nobody knows for sure what is causing these weird snowfalls in places such as New York, so I can't say for certain what the culprit is, but Global Warming is a likely possibility.

Please feel free to comment on my blog and state your opinion on whether or not Global Warming is affecting the amounts of snow falling in parts of the world such as the Northeast US. It would also be really cool if you wanted to share some of your own snow stories too!

Image Credit: Asterix611 (via Flickr)

References:

Cohen, Judah. "Bundle Up, It's Global Warming." NY Times Opinion. December 25, 2010.

Kaku, Michio. "Monster Snowstorms Still Spell Global Warming." CNN Opinion. January 28, 2011.

"What is Global Warming?" National Geographic.

10 Comments

March 01, 2011 | 01:45 AM

Posted By: Nicholas Smarsch

Hey Sam, amazing post! I was actually wondering the same thing as you, how it can snow so much with Global Warming. Well, in my research, i found a different outcome besides Global Warming. The outcome i found was a massive low pressure system off the coast of North Carolina, and it came closer to the North East and went as far as Georgia, the storm. Also, during this CRAZY snow storm, i was stuck in my house for 3 days with snow blocking the door. We finally got through the door, but we couldn't leave the house because the roads weren't plowed, this left me stuck in my house for another 2 days.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40838

February 25, 2011 | 12:59 AM

Posted By: Cartland Zhou

Nice post, Sam! After read your post, I also find an article about global warming and snow. It says that hotter air can hold more moisture, so when a storm gathers it can unleash massive amounts of snow. Colder air, by contrast, is drier; if we were in a truly vicious cold snap, like the one that occurred over much of the East Coast during parts of January, we would be unlikely to see heavy snowfall. And I think it’s an available explanation for the snow storms. I personally agree with that we are hurting the earth, because we are burning so many chemicals and resources, it must affects the earth in some way badly. But we can see there is more snowing during winter but in the other hand, it gets hotter in summer. They are extremes, but they are happening at the same time. And I think it’s a sign for us to protect the earth.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1962294,00.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/reading-deep-in-climate-science/?ref=globalwarming

February 07, 2011 | 10:48 PM

Posted By: Alice Harrison

Wow, what a great post Sam! There sure has been so much snow this winter! As Jessica mentioned in her comment below, "as long as there is enough moisture in the air and the temperature remains under 32 degrees, it will continue to snow." According to the 2007 IPPC report, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere has increased 5% in the 20th century and 4% since 1970. These may sound like small increases in percentages, but they really do impact our environment. With the increase of moisture in the air, heavier snowstorms will become more and more present, as has been seen this winter. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, "strong cold season storms are likely to become stronger and more frequent." With this data, it looks like the winters to come will have more and more snow.

http://www.onearth.org/article/snow-job-winter-doesnt-disprove-global-warming

February 07, 2011 | 12:31 AM

Posted By: Emily D'Arco

This is a really interesting post, Sam. I did some more research and found that the climate change could be making massive snowstorms, like the ones that have been occurring, more common. Large-scale cold-weather storms have become more and more prevalent in the north of the U.S. in the past 50 years. The frequency of certain storms may have decreased, but the ferocity with which they hit has definitely increased! Most people ask, shouldn't the increase in temperature make cold weather and snow storms less likely? While that could happen in the future, as of now, warm air is filled with moisture, and as long as the temperature is below 32ºF, we get hit with blizzards, instead of thundering rain showers.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1962294,00.html

February 06, 2011 | 10:42 PM

Posted By: Jessica Khrakovsky

Great post, Samantha! It truly has been a very snowy winter. Also, great comment, Deirdre! That really helped me understand how snow is formed.Sam, after you said that the Earth became 1.4 degrees warmer in 131 years, it really didn't seem like a big deal to me either. When you countered that this is indeed a tremendous change, it made me think... in future years, if global warming continues at this rate, we may never get out of our houses! However, Time magazine verifies that eventually, global warming should cause climates that are too warm for snow. As long as there is enough moisture and the temperature remains under 32 degrees, it will continue to snow.
For more information, refer to:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1962294,00.html

February 04, 2011 | 02:03 AM

Posted By: Gurk Kang

Great post Sam, you explaining the whole process of Global Warming helped me a lot. Sam, you’re not the only one who wasn’t able to get out of the house for a while. I always wondered the same question you included in your post “How is it snowing so much if the climate is getting warmer?” thanks for answering that question. Some productions cause CO2 are rotting trees, factories, the burning of coal, and water vapor. Now you might be thinking how water vapor causes Global Warming, while doing some research I came across and found out that water vapor effects the Greenhouse effect. One fact I learned about water vapor is it make 60% of the gases in Greenhouse effect. And the rest are made of CO2 and other chemicals. Some ways we can help are recycling, walking often instead of driving, reduce electricity, and plant trees to absorb CO2.
http://www.macgregoss.eq.edu.au/qldwebchall/gwi/causes.html

February 03, 2011 | 10:13 PM

Posted By: monica valero

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview.html

In response to my other comment, this is the site where i received my information.

February 03, 2011 | 07:34 PM

Posted By: Khalil A. Cassimally

Building on monica's comment, another even less apparent problem of global warming with respect to the sea is that when temperature increases, water expands. Effectively, the enormous about of water found in oceans does expand which also contributes to rises in sea level.

February 03, 2011 | 04:39 PM

Posted By: monica valero

Great post Sam, to answer your question of what is Global Warming, Global Warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is led to believe that humans are the cause for it because for the past few centuries we have been releasing “heat-trapping gases.”Over the years the levels of CO2 and the average global temperature have fluctuated. Humans have been letting an excess amount of CO2 into the environment which is changing the global temperature more than what should be occurring. This is a serious problem because with the greenhouse gases rising, such things like the polar ice caps are melting. A problem that not many think about is when the ice caps melt they can significantly change the level of sea rise. Also changes in the weather can be more extreme which can lead to major storms and then result to drier droughts. Another result that Global Warming can have is change the “range” in which animals and plants can live and a decrease in water supplies.

February 03, 2011 | 04:16 PM

Posted By: deirdre o

I have done some research and found that Al Gore has responded to a question brought up on the Bill O'Reilly show about the connection between these storms and global warming. He says that scientists have been warning severe snowstorms for almost 2 decades! "Snow has two simple ingredients: cold and moisture. Warmer air collects moisture like a sponge until it hits a patch of cold air. When temperatures dip below freezing, a lot of moisture creates a lot of snow. "A rise in global temperature can create all sorts of havoc, ranging from hotter dry spells to colder winters, along with increasingly violent storms, flooding, forest fires and loss of endangered species." these storms could be a sign of what is to come, and I think people in and out of the science community need to take precautions.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/01/the-goreacle-snowstorms-caused-by-global-warming/#ixzz1Cuewprop