Samantha Past
p://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/science/earth/2012-was-hottest-year-ever-in-us.html?ref=science&_r=0
“Not Even Close:
2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.”
By
Justin Gillis
The
article “Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.” written by Justin
Gillis provides an in depth discussion pertaining to the year 2012 in regards
to the extraordinarily odd climate, one the United States has never previously
experienced. Last year’s 55.3 degree average, was an entire degree higher than
that of the previous hottest temperature
observed in 1998. (Generally, the temperature differences between years
are measured in fractions of a degree.) Mr. Gillis includes in his article a
statistic from the federal temperature records stating, “34,008 daily high
records were set at weather stations across the country, compared with only
6,664 record lows,” with regards to the year 2012. Over the years the
temperature of the country has been increasingly warmer, however never quite as
warm as the temperatures seen last year.
While many scientists describe such temperature fluctuations due to
natural variability, many also put the blame on global warming due to the human
release of greenhouse gases. According
to research, many scientists predict the
10 warmest years on record all fell within the past 15 years, therefore showing
how much the planet has warmed. From the
start of last year, the United States experienced an unusually warm winter,
with little snow, followed by a hot March where “trees burst into bloom and
swimming pools opened early.” The soil dried in March due to the heat,
therefore lending itself to a drought that occurred during the warmest July on
record. In addition to discussing the
drastic warm climate of 2012 the author of this article, includes information
regarding the disasters that occurred within the year. “In addition to being
the nation’s warmest year, 2012 turned out to be the second-worst on a measure
called the Climate Extremes Index, surpassed only by 1998.” So far 11 disasters
in 2012 have surpassed a threshold of $1 billion in damages, including several
tornado outbreaks; as well such disasters as Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane
Sandy. The derecho, or a line of severe, fast moving thunderstorms, struck
central and eastern parts of the country beginning on June 29, killing more
than 20 people. Aside from the various
disasters experienced in the country, the summer heat wave affected many people
too. A third of the nation’s population experienced 10 or more days of summer
temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At the beginning of January, 61
percent of the country was still in moderate to severe drought conditions. As the article, signifies, many researchers
and scientists believe 2012 was most likely a foretaste of the future, as the
country will experience continued warming.
Such an article as this pertaining to the
increasingly warm climate in the United States is important for people to read
in order to learn about the effects of global warming on the country’s
environment. By reading articles in
regards to unnaturally hot temperatures the United States, one may gain
knowledge regarding the changes occurring in their country, and hopefully
therefore have a desire to try and change or help the situation at hand. As the article states, many researchers and
scientists saw last year’s drastic increase in temperature, as a precursor for
years to come, therefore it is important for people of the United States to
acquire knowledge regarding this issue, so they can work on ways to improve it.
Overall,
this was an interesting, well written article, that drew my attention. I
enjoyed the way the author decided to also include information pertaining to
the many natural disasters the United States experienced in 2012, aside from
solely discussing the major changes in temperature. However, an aspect of the article that may
have been made better is if the author discussed possible solutions to the problem,
or perhaps some tips for his readers as to things they can do to try and
decrease the effects of global warming. Likewise, if the author possibly
discussed a little more of the direct effects of such temperature fluctuations,
readers would be able to better understand why these changes are so relevant,
and why things need to be done in order to try and mend the issue.
I read Samantha’s review of the article “Not Even Close: 2012 was Hottest Ever in U.S.”. I think that Samantha did a great job reviewing the article overall. She mentioned the key points of the article and noted important statistics. For example, she mentioned that there were more record high temperatures than record low temperatures across the country. In addition, I particularly liked that Samantha quoted the article. I thought that it was a nice addition to the review and it helped back up the evidence. A third and final aspect of Samantha’s review that I thought was well done was her reference to the natural disasters that occurred in the country this year. By mentioning these catastrophes she showed that not only is the temperature changing but also the overall climate of the country.
ReplyDeleteWhile Samantha did a great job reviewing the article there were some areas for improvement. Although Samantha mentioned that the rising heat was dangerous she did not state the impact that the rising temperatures had on the people of the United States. For example, the drought killed soybean and corn crops which drastically increased prices. In addition, Samantha could have improved her review by explaining the weather of the entire world. While 2012 was the hottest year on record for the United States the climate of the world was only the 9th or 10th hottest on record. This was mainly due to the La Nina weather which typically cools the global climate overall.
I learned many interesting things from reading this article. I had experienced the hot weather in 2012 but I did not realize that it was the hottest year on record in the United States. In addition it was a complete degree warmer than it has ever been. I found this information both interesting and eye-opening.
Samantha's review of the article “Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.” described the effects of Global Warming in terms of American temperature changes. It presented many details, such as the fact that the 10 warmest years on record all fell within the past 15 years. She linked Global Warming not only to climate changes but also to the abnormal weather related disasters we have been experiencing, such as the Hurricane Sandy. Since Global Warming is so important to the way that today's and future's society is going to be shaped, I thought it was nice that Samantha did a review on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat could have been improved was if she described the causes of Global Warming more. She mentions greenhouse gases briefly, but there should have been an explanation of how they trap heat and how they are produced. Also, the review was a little bit lengthy and perhaps overflowing with details that weren't as necessary. Also, the article did not present any possible solutions.
This was a material we covered in AP Environmental Science last year, which was a very eye-opening course. I was surprised to find out that this year was ranked the hottest summer in the history of the United States. When scientists speak of Global Warming, it is often with such a pessimistic tone that offers no solutions. I hope that I come across an article that does otherwise soon.