I Need to Go Surfing, or "Screw You Guys I'm Going Home"
It has been a hot summer in the Pacific Northwest. The heat has ushered forth a lot of physical and emotional discontent for me, some certainly due to the lack of AC in our Portland home; Portland is on track for its sixth warmest July on record. When we moved here a year and a half ago, the word on the street was that summers were perfect and there was no AC required. Well, slow down big fella because my psychological dependency on air conditioning has garnered a very real physiological precedent having lived in our sauna of a house this summer.
And, it appears from this National Weather Service article that the East is cooler than the West this year AND this pattern may persist (in the near term) in our increasingly warming world. Great...drought, wildfires, and less snow in the PNW while the East Coast enjoys new cooler summers. See except here:
cool conditions in the East contrasted, as they have nearly all year, with baking conditions in the West, which have exacerbated the effects of California’s epic drought and helped fuel wildfires. This temperature pattern is occurring over a background warming fueled by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere that are making record lows overall less likely and record highs more common. The pattern the U.S. has seen is also one scientists say could be more common in a warming world.
But, of course, this role reversal of cool summers is temporary. Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere will ultimately ensure that everyone sees more record highs against record lows. Early in the summer, I found myself thinking that enduring this heat and traffic of Portland would at least payoff with some snow in the Cascades this winter. But given last year's delayed snowfall on Mt. Hood and what looks like a trend (see Timberline chart here)I've often though about what Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia's founder) said about climate change: "We're getting into the surf market, because it's never going to snow again, and the waves are going to get bigger and bigger". Chouinard seems right. Now if only the Oregon ocean water heat up and the sharks will stop eating people, I'm set.
And, it appears from this National Weather Service article that the East is cooler than the West this year AND this pattern may persist (in the near term) in our increasingly warming world. Great...drought, wildfires, and less snow in the PNW while the East Coast enjoys new cooler summers. See except here:
cool conditions in the East contrasted, as they have nearly all year, with baking conditions in the West, which have exacerbated the effects of California’s epic drought and helped fuel wildfires. This temperature pattern is occurring over a background warming fueled by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere that are making record lows overall less likely and record highs more common. The pattern the U.S. has seen is also one scientists say could be more common in a warming world.
But, of course, this role reversal of cool summers is temporary. Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere will ultimately ensure that everyone sees more record highs against record lows. Early in the summer, I found myself thinking that enduring this heat and traffic of Portland would at least payoff with some snow in the Cascades this winter. But given last year's delayed snowfall on Mt. Hood and what looks like a trend (see Timberline chart here)I've often though about what Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia's founder) said about climate change: "We're getting into the surf market, because it's never going to snow again, and the waves are going to get bigger and bigger". Chouinard seems right. Now if only the Oregon ocean water heat up and the sharks will stop eating people, I'm set.
Comments
Sure it may be hot in your house, just sleep in the basement.
I know what your thinking, the forests aren't going to continue to be awesome and lush if rainfall decreases and fires increase. That is true, though fire is a natural disturbance to our ecosystems which wouldn't be nearly as destructive if fire prevention hadn't been the norm for the past century.
For now, enjoy it. Oregon is a natural playground. It's cooler in the forest. Go for a hike and when your done jump in a river.
That said, I still feel very lucky that Portland has remained far less affected (it seems) by weather extremes than other areas of the country have in recent years. I listen to the news as Texas suffers drought, the mid-Atlantic region is battered with hurricanes and heavy snow, the midwest gets hit with all of it. Until now, I have felt rather protected from it all. But now I'm afraid - will summers always be this hot? If I move outside of the city will I have to worry about wildfires? Will I ever enjoy the summer heat again or have I become a Pacific Northwester, intolerant of extreme seasons? It will all come back into perspective for me, I fear, in a few weeks. I'm heading to Texas in August.
On that note, global warming, greenhouse gases, and ozone depletion are real. Severe weather patterns (creating tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires, among other natural disasters), sun-exposure related skin cancer (such as melanoma), rising ocean levels due to polar ice caps melting, and altered agricultural trends are of increased concern. Multiple stakeholders in policy and regulatory development who could influence lifestyle changes to slow this process, however, demonstrate disbelief in these concepts. Developing change will take a multidisciplinary approach that rises above investing in air conditioning and finding new hobbies that are more forgiving and permissive of climate change and extreme weather.