Climate Change

Climate Change

By: Riley Anderson

     Climate Change is a recent term, described as "a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels" (Dictionary). Through research of climate change and the effects that will occur on in the state of New Hampshire, it appears that New Hampshire may be affected in a variety of different ways. Although there are going to be many changes, New Hampshire will not be affected harshly through climate change. 

Can we keep our winters like this? PC: Proctor Academy

     According to the NH.gov the effects the are currently occurring in the state of New Hampshire are as follows; "warmer winters, reduced snowfall, increase rainfall, rising sea level, and more severe weather events that increase the risk of flooding" (NH.gov) These changes can be seen throughout the weather patterns that have been occurring over the past couple of weeks at Proctor through drastic weather changes, but saying that it is due to climate change is inaccurate because we need to asses the weather for a period of years to determine whether or not it was just weather or climate change. However, as I was saying, there has been extremely low temperatures that have brought snow to the community, to temperatures in the 50's (Fahrenheit) with rain. There we can conclude that as climate change continues in our society the winters are going to be shorter and the spring will be much longer. The climate of New Hampshire will shift from a primarily heavy winters to heavier rainfall during this time period. 

PC: Myself
The pond, in relatively unsafe conditions due the fluctuation in temperatures recently

     I spent a lot of time looking at annual averages for towns in New Hampshire, like temperature, rainfall and snowfall. Through looking at Manchester, New Hampshire the past couple years have resulted in a much harsher winter than the past years. I looked for historical date of areas closer to Andover and the Proctor community but was not able to find proficient data that would allow for a conclusion to be made about the Proctor community. After looking at the date from Manchester, New Hampshire, I calculated that the average snowfall in the city has been 18.46 inches in the past 10 years. However there has been years that the average snowfall has been less than 5 inches which is outrageously low for climate of New Hampshire. The current trend appears to be that there will be years where the snowfall will be harsh, followed by years where precipitation is acquired (Weather).

New Hampshire has history of having harsh winters, these winters could get worse in the near future, but eventually we may be seeing more rainfall.

     The Proctor community can expect to see more rain in the foreseeable future, which can be good or bad. The con of increased rainfall or faster snow melt is the increased likelihood of floods that ruin land. I find it astonishing how there are individuals in the world who can deny climate change and say that there is no evidence, of its occurrence. The New Hampshire government says that in order to address climate change they need to develop plentiful sources of renewable energy and use energy more efficiently in both buildings and vehicles. In addition, there will need to be a greater emphasis on integrating land use and transportation planning in order to reduce the number of miles traveled on our roads each year" (NH.gov). The government is slowly working towards addressing the issue of climate change and I hope we can eventually get a worldwide effort to stabilize our output of chemicals. 

Thermal Inversion

Thermal Inversion

By Riley Anderson

PC: Google

     

     Throughout the past week our AP Environmental Science class has been talking about air pollution and an aspect that has come up during discussion is thermal inversion. Thermal inversion occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. Thermal inversion is harmful to the occupants of a city because when the warm air holds down the cool air it prevents pollutants from rising and dispersing which allows them to build up to dangerous levels.

PC: Google

How Does Thermal Inversion Occur?

     Thermal inversion occurs when the normal temperature gradient becomes inverted. The occurrence of a thermal inversion, for example, is when a warmer, less-dense air mass moves over a cooler, more dense air mass. Thermal inversions typically occur around a warm front and in areas that a lot of oceanic upwelling occurs, such as coastal states like California. Humidity plays a large part because with the proper amount of humidity in the more dense area fog occurs below the inversion cap. Temperature inversion is also able to occur when the radiation from the sun is at a lower amount than the radiation from the earth, this is typically occurs at night time and during the winter when the angle of the sun is very low in the sky.

Alan McIntyre's Slideshow

Alan McIntyre's Slideshow

What is the Impact of Thermal Inversion?

     Temperature inversions play a major role of air quality in a city, these are especially dangerous during the winter because that time of the year is when inversions are strongest. A typical inversion is measured by AQI (Air Quality Index), the higher the AQI during an inversion the worst the air is for an individual. During these inversions a major contributor to the poor air quality is local wood stoves. A recent inversion just took place in Salt Lake City where a smog was created around the city where the particulate matter in the air exceeds the national health standards. Former Proctor students Thaddeus Bicknell '15 and Ian Wood '15 were pictured wearing mask to prevent harmful particulates entering their body, which is how the problem came to my attention. Salt Lake City states "Salt Lake City is aggressively working to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality through programs that conserve electricity and natural gas, encourage individuals to drive down their personal motor vehicle miles and reduce other sources of air pollution" (SLC).

Salt Lake City Inversion
PC: Google