Wisconsin meteorologists: human-caused climate change is driving ... - WJFW-TV

Wisconsin meteorologists: human-caused climate change is driving extreme weather | News | wjfw.com

Biologists can a learn a lot about a tree by using an increment borer to extract a core. The handle of the T-shaped tool is twisted, pushing the auger through the tree. After it’s in, a core of the tree can be taken out, and it contains a lot of information – like how old a tree is, how quickly it grows, and burn scars from a forest fire.

A core of a tree extracted using an increment borer

Just like taking a core from a tree, scientists have taken ice cores from ancient glaciers in Antarctica. The air trapped inside gives us a look at the make-up of the atmosphere going back around 800,000 years. This includes the concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The data shows those greenhouse gases have skyrocketed since the industrial revolution.

Greenhouse gas atmospheric concentration data, measured from air bubbles in Antarctic ice cores

The consequence is a quickly changing climate disrupting life across the globe. Massive droughts, destructive flooding, and deadly heat waves have happened before, but they are becoming much more common.

Tony Schumacher is the chief meteorologist for Great Lakes Weather Service, a forecasting and consulting company based in Wisconsin. He says climate change is making extreme things more likely to happen.

“We’ve always had hurricanes, we’ve always had floods well before the industrial revolution and the increase in greenhouse gases,” said Schumacher. “But they are getting more intense on average.”

Tony Schumacher is the chief meteorologist for Great Lakes Weather Service, a forecasting and consulting company based in Wisconsin.

Greenhouse gases are trapping more heat in the atmosphere, boosting average temperatures around the world by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850. These warmer temperatures go hand-in-hand with more moisture in the atmosphere.

“There’s greater evaporation off the oceans and the landmasses so there’s more moisture in the air,” said Schumacher.

Wisconsin has seen a 17% increase in precipitation since 1950, which is about 5 inches extra per year according to Schumacher.

“We’re getting more extreme flooding, which is harming water quality, erosion, and pesticide runoff,” said Schumacher. “Our winters are changing. We’re getting more rain and ice mixed in throughout the winter which creates difficulties for road crews and makes winter tourism difficult.”

Schumacher gets asked a lot – how does he feel about climate change. He says to take feeling out of it and look at the science.

“It isn’t anything about how we feel, we have to look at how these things behave scientifically,” said Schumacher

WJFW Chief Meteorologist Geoff Weller wishes climate change wasn’t a political issue.

“As scientists there’s nearly hundred percent agreement that global climate change is happening,” said Weller. “Unfortunately, sometimes scientists aren’t the loudest people in the room.”

WJFW Chief Meteorologist Geoff Weller

Researchers claim internal documents from Oil giant Exxon Mobil shows the company knew that burning fossil fuels would increase global temperatures as long ago as the 1970s, but publicly denied the link while making billions of dollars. Exxon Mobil denies the allegations.

Weller and Schumacher say that something must be done combat climate change, or else deadly heat and weather patterns will only increase in intensity.

“If we do nothing, we’re going to watch weather patterns change, we’re going to watch global temperatures continue to rise, we’re going to watch sea levels rise,” said Weller. “We’re going to disrupt things that are going to impact a lot of people.”