Climate Change: A Brief Look
As scientists had predicted global warming would melt polar ice caps and glaciers that would diminish the relativity of snow letting solar heating to be further and faster absorbed by open oceans and soil.
Water is a huge absorber and conveyor of solar heating. Ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream are powered by thermal heat differentials. Examples: The Caribbean Sea is a tropical zone where its temperature exceeds 83 F or 28C. This water floats above cooler water. Arctic Polar ice cap melt is denser than surrounding water and settles to the bottom. There you have relatively the ingredients of thermal heat differential. Hot Caribbean surface water flows north to displace cold polar ice cap melt that settles to the bottom and flows south along the bottom to fill the gap of the hotter water heading north. A solar powered heat pump is formed and is know as the Gulf Stream...a product of nature.
The warmer Gulf Stream water reaches Northern Europe elevating temperature there. To give a perspective, latitudes of Northern Europe are equal to those of Hudson's Bay in northern Canada, home of polar bears and permafrost. As you can see that warm Gulf Stream water has a significant effect on Northern Europe. At present that Caribbean Sea temperature has risen from 83F to 85F. However, the Gulf Stream flow has reduced by more than 30 percent. This is just the beginning. The result is heat build up in the Caribbean Sea and Northern Europe having cooler summers but milder winters.
The impact of all of this will have a multitude of changes. Resulting in polluted Caribbean waters that enhance seaweed growth and killing fish, turtles, coral reefs, and more.
Northern Europe is witnessing invasive insects moving north from warmer climate zones. An example is the oak processionary moth caterpillar, a long name for a small insect but a big problem causing skin irritations, rashes, eye conjunctivitis, and asthma reactions.
There are weather extremes world wide such as droughts, floods, and storms of greater intensity.
