Global Warming’s Effects on Canada’s Temperature.
Wondering why they say we need to worry about global warming but our summers are cooling down? According to Environment Canada, the national average temperature for the summer of 2009 was 0.4°C above normal, based on preliminary data, ranking it as the twenty-seventh warmest since nationwide records began in 1948. But, it only lasted about two weeks in the month of August while the rest of the summer was cool, cloudy and rainy. Even last year’s summer was a whole lot of the same. Realistically, our summers are slowly being taken away from us.
Environment Canada noted that much of Canada is experiencing this cooling of temperatures while some areas seem to be warming up. Areas experiencing cooler temperatures are located mostly in central and southern Canada. Western, northern and eastern Canada are experiencing warmer temperatures than normal. Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba saw temperatures more than a degree and a half below normal, while B.C., southern Yukon, northern Quebec and much of the Arctic Archipelago had temperatures at more than 2 degrees above normal. This past spring and summer were the first seasons in the last five years where temperatures were recorded below normal.
As for the United States, they are experiencing the same thing. The jet stream is bringing more arctic air to the continental U.S., meaning that for many states, summers are also getting cooler faster. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s statistics show that this past summer, the average temperature of 71.7 degrees Fahrenheit was 0.4 degrees below the 20th century average. Just in the last two days of August, more than 300 low temperature records were set in the Midwest.
Why are the temperatures cooling down and what does this mean? One of many reasons is that normally a warm ocean current known as the Gulf Stream runs towards the east coast of North America, helping to keep regions warm. But over the past year glacial fresh water has melted into the North Atlantic Ocean resulting in the dilution of salt water and slowing down of the Gulf Stream. This has lead to rapid cooling in North America. As a result, “Canadian summers are like the temperatures of autumn or spring,” said Neil Loader, a team member of lead study author Tim Daley, of Swansea University in the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Canada will be experiencing most of the climatic change in our region of the world, according to Climate Action Network Canada. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like our springs and summers will continue to cool down.
