As Global Temperatures Warm, Climate Extremes Also Increase

Climate extremes are becoming more and more common. Severe heat and cold can impact regions of the world as our environment shifts. Now, scientists have found that these extremes are here to say. Researchers have discovered that as global temperature increases, extremes are also increasing.

In order to better understand the extreme cold snaps and heat waves impacting our planet, the researchers used simulations from the most recent climate models developed by groups for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These simulations are created by blending the best available weather observations with numerical weather models. In this case, the scientists characterized the extremes in order to explain how their variability is influenced by the seasons, geographical region, and the land-sea interface.

"Just because you have a year that's colder than usual over the last decade isn't a rejection of the global warming hypothesis," said Evan Kodra, one of the researchers, in a news release.

In the end, the researchers found that extremes may soon become the norm. While each year's average hottest and coldest temperatures will likely rise, those average will also tend to fall within a wider range of potential high and low temperate extremes than are currently being observed. As overall temperatures rise, in other words, we may experience more extreme cold snaps.

The findings are important for better understanding future climate conditions. The fact that models predict a wider range of extreme temperatures may allow sectors to better prepare for these extreme events.
"An agriculture insurance company wants to know next year what is the coldest snap we could see and hedge against that," explained Kodra. "So, if the range gets wider they have a broader array of policies to consider."

The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.