What’s Weird with the Weather?
May 1, 2012 by DMM
For my Green Event, I attended a “rush hour” in Tome 115 about a week ago that was called “Whats Weird with the Weather?” During this event, two Dickinson professors John Henson and Jeffrey Neimitz shared the allotted time in order to present their information to the students and other professors. This talk was incredibly interesting and relatable because they discussed issues that we face daily. Niemitz, an earth science professor, spoke during the first half of the rush hour and started his lecture with striking facts and statistics about the rain right here in Carlisle. Nietmitz said Carlisle had 63 inches of rain this past year, where it is usually around 20 inches. I thought I put my rain boots to use a lot last semester but 63 inches is way more than I would have guessed! Nietmitz went on to discuss all of the natural disasters that have occurred within the United States. He began with Hurricane Katrina, while showing a devastating photograph. After Katrina, Niemitz mentioned the 2011 Texas drought and how there were 92 consecutive days of being over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, in which reservoirs began to dry up. Futhermore, Niemitz showed a picture of the contrast of precipitation between Texas and Pennsylvania and it was absolutely astonishing. He also stated that the most devastatingly, extreme events are occurring worldwide affecting a much more vulnerable population (Pakistan flooding, Russian wildfires, European winter 2012). Additionally, he mentioned the great decline of ice in the arctic and how some say it is the culprit.
After Nietmitz spoke, it was John Henson’s turn and he mainly discussed the impact of climate change on human health. John Henson, a biology professor, started off with proving how the sea level has changed at least 5 or 6 meters higher due to a 125,000 year old fossilized coral reef on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Then Henson began to primarily focus on the health and climate change where he discussed extreme temperature events, weather related natural disasters, drought/water availability, and sea level rise = flooding, loss of agricultural land, and climate change. I thought it was helpful and pretty awesome when Henson shared the article he has read about the impact of climate change on human health. With this, he explained the dangerous effects of extreme heat and how a lot of people have died due to heat related situations. Henson ended his lecture on the Dengue fever. He explained how the fever spreads more as the temperature increases. Lastly and unfortunately, I’ve learned that the United States is not immune to the fever.
I also attended this green event for another class this semester and found it to be extreme interesting. Professors Neimitz and Henson were both very articulate in trying to explain the reasons why we are experiencing unseasonable weather changes. In his final thoughts, Niemitz discussed possible reasons for the extreme weather. One possibility is the fact that Antarctica is losing ice which causes a sea level rise and a positive feedback, which actually has a negative impact on the environment. He also discussed the idea that impacts from weather and climate events depend on nature and the severity of the event, the vulnerability of the area, and exposure of which the country endures. Lastly, Niemitz explained that for exposed and vulnerable communities, even non-extreme weather and climate events can have extreme impacts on an area. I found this Rush Hour event to be very informative especially during a time where global warming and other environmental dangers are becoming bigger issues.