A Recent Email from a Weather Fan in Portugal Concerning Global Warming:
I wonder if you could clear up a doubt I have about global warming. I live in Lisbon, Portugal and I’ve heard many times that summers will be hotter in the future (and I already feel that since the average temperature for Lisbon in July used to be a minimum 17C (62.6F) and maximum 27C (80.6F) and lately summer average temperatures are more like a minimum 20C (68F) and maximum 31C (87.8F).
However, I’ve noticed that the last 3 winters have been 1 to 2 degrees colder than the average temperature. Is the Gulf Stream making winters colder in Europe or was it just a colder winter? Will winters be warmer like summers?
Answer:
Often weather is a tricky phenomenon that involves the interplay of the world’s oceans, temperatures, moisture, and more so that it can be very difficult to predict weather. In fact, this is one of the reasons weather forecasts rarely go beyond 10 days. Even a five day forecast has an incredible amount of variation once you get to the last day.Where Can I Get Scientific Global Warming Data?:
My first response to this type of global warming question is…Are you basing the perceived temperature difference on data or personal observation? To completely understand any topic, scientists rely on data to prove or disprove an idea or hypothesis. So to give you some data, I have taken the opportunity to gather some meteorological data on Portugal in order to answer your question a bit better.A Global Warming Video is Worth a Million Words!!
Global warming can be graphically represented in a NASA animation showing five-year average global temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2005. The animation is designed to show a progression of changing global surface temperature using colored data from NASA satellites. (Courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Data provided by Robert B. Schmunk NASA/GSFC GISS).
The World Meteorological Organization
Download the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Publication #998 for a 2005 summary of global climate. This free booklet includes a lot of global warming images used to show areas around the globe that are experiencing increased temperatures.
Contrary to some popular belief global warming is needed by earth. In fact, without warm temperatures, we would not be able to survive on our Earth. The Greenhouse Effect is a completely natural occurrence and is what makes out planet habitable. But the reality is – are the higher temperatures at the surface, in the ocean, and in the air increasing at an unnatural rate? That is the debate that I go over in a second article here – Is the Earth Warming Due to Human Activity…Or Not?
The Facts About Global Warming
- Global mean surface temperature in 2005 was 0.47°C to 0.58°C above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14°C.
- 1998 and 2005 were the two warmest years in the temperature record since 1850.
- Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the global average surface temperature has increased by about 0.6°C.
- The record warmth in 2005 had little influence from El Niño while 1998 was blamed on an extremely strong El Nino event.
- Multi-month drought conditions affected much of western Europe during July, August and September of 2005.
- During the period from October 2004 to June 2005, rainfall was less than half the normal in areas of the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal.
- Spain and Portugal experienced the worst drought conditions since the late 1940s, with 97 per cent of Portugal affected by severe to extreme drought in 2005.
References:
The fact list above is courtesy of The World Meteorological Organization Publication #998 – 2005 Global Climate Study
