Everyday, when each of us reads the newspaper or watches TV or listens to the radio report of the "weather", we get what is happening now . . . the latest current temperature, the highs and lows, Doppler Radar of the current storms in the area, and an outlook for the next few days. And that is what weather is; the current, here and now.
However, in this age of the Internet, so much more can be known than you can possibly imagine. The following are several links to web sites that show fine details and broad profiles of the "weather" around us. Just click the
hyperlink and away you go.
For current conditions and the past 24 hours for an individual city, click on a state and a city for temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed and pressure.
http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/rbigmain.html
For current conditions and the past 24 hours for the whole US, click on temperature, 24 hour temperature change, dew point, wind, and sea land pressure. click on Watch/Warn, then Stormwatch map for Storm Warnings.
http://users.lazerlink.net/~edge/wxframes.html
For the next 5 day forecast, click on a state (Go), and a city.
http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/ForecastMap/
NEXRAD or Next Generation Radar (Doppler) can be seen by clicking on a dot on the map.
http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/BaseReflectivityLoop/
This is the cloud cover of the United States.
http://www.weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_us_loop-12.html
This is the radar of the cloud cover of the United States.
http://www.weather.unisys.com/radar/rad_loop.html
From Surface Temperature, Relative Humidity, Sea Level Pressure and Air Stream Analysis for the NE.
http://www.ems.psu.edu/wx/newx.html
In the GOES East Imagery column and under zoom, click on West Atlantic IR (clouds), under Prods:, click Vapor (color). Under Nav:, click Sat.Home for Satellite Meteorology and click on Tropics Home for tropical cloud patterns.
http://weather.gov/iwin/graphics.html
What happens when a extratropical cyclone off the Northeastern coast of the US merges with a hurricane moving up from the south . . . The Perfect Storm.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/pfctstorm91/pfctstorm.html
http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/06/06092000/hurricane_2768.asp
While weather is said to be what is happening now, climate is often referred to as "average weather" because it is usually thought of as weather, either locally, regionally, or globally projected into the future from one month to 100 years. Changes in the climate are often brought about by slow changes in the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans due to natural or man made forces, coupled with the influence of the sun on our planet.
Natural forces could be that of a volcano erupting (atmospheric particles will cool the planet) or variations in ocean currents (which change the distribution of precipitation and heat). Human activities that influence the climate can include deforestation, production of carbon dioxide, the burning of fossil fuels, and the construction of buildings and roads which may lead to a long term warming effect. These natural vs man-made conditions are just now moving out of balance and their potential long-term consequences are slowing beginning to spark serious discussions for our sustainable future.
Because of the above effects mentioned, the earth’s climate may now be starting to change. We can expect to see small to large differences in the normal precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, and sea levels that we have relied on over the past centuries. This in turn may have an undesirable influence on human health, ecological systems, and society overall. Sophisticated computer models (
GFDL) tell us that the earth’s surface temperature may rise by 5 ° C by 2100, leading to an increase in evaporation, a decrease in soil moisture in some areas, causing lower crop yields in may parts of the world and higher sea levels due to melting of the polar ice in Antarctica. These stresses may also have an impact on land-use changes, population expansion, and pollution.Rain, snow fall and temperature changes have occurred in the past, but the rate of change has speeded up significantly from the past. The forecasted consequences detail an increase in the frequency of floods in some parts of the world and drought in other areas.
Human population growth, life styles, land usage, and energy choices will impact us all.
Economic impact will be greater and politicians will be put on notice to act.
In summary, global warming will not be uniform. The winters may be shorter, warmer, and produce less snowfall than normal. This in turn will diminish the ability of the snow pack to develop and deepen, which has a marked reduction in the buildup of the water table (snow pack melting has more positive impact on the increase of the water table because it is a slower process). The summers may be longer and drier. Through research and education, I believe that man will find a way to reduce global warming because the "costs" for all of us will be too great to bear. Time is running out . . . the future is now!
