http://amir.eng.uci.edu/publications/13_...
"We investigate the spatial patterns of the wetness and dryness over the past three decades, and we show that several regions, such as the southwestern United States, Texas, parts of the Amazon, the Horn of Africa, northern India, and parts of the Mediterranean region, exhibit a significant drying trend. The global trend maps indicate that central Africa, parts of southwest Asia (e.g., Thailand, Taiwan), Central America, northern Australia, and parts of eastern Europe show a wetting trend during the same time span."
http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/Trenberth/we...
"Increased heating from global warming may not cause droughts but it is expected that when droughts occur they are likely to set in quicker and be more intense."
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007...
"We found that the enhanced global summer monsoon not only amplifies the annual cycle of tropical climate but also promotes directly a 'wet-gets-wetter' trend pattern and indirectly a 'dry-gets-drier' trend pattern through coupling with deserts and trade winds."
A possibility also exists that Arctic amplification has an effect on mid-latitude weather via various processes. However more study still needs to be done in this area.
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v7/n9...
"The possibility of a link between Arctic change and mid-latitude weather has spurred research activities that reveal three potential dynamical pathways linking Arctic amplification to mid-latitude weather: changes in storm tracks, the jet stream, and planetary waves and their associated energy propagation."
What we see is slightly longer summers and slightly shorter winters. In the artic we see several extra days of above freezing weather and several extra days of slightly 'less cold days'. While that may not seem like much it acts to melt more 'old ice'. As the old ice melts and thins year to year the edges of the ice pack tend to break off sooner and melt down sooner. This leaves more dark open water to absorb more heat energy. As all of this has been observed there's no doubt that it's happening.
The US Navy has conducted 'under the ice' patrols since the first nuke subs came on line in 1958. Since then the navy has observed that the ice pack is a solid 1/3 less thick year to year. The Russian navy confirms this in their released observations as well.
The added retained solar heat due to more CO2 and methane in our atmosphere has gone into the world's oceans...also observed and confirmed by both navy soundings and commercial soundings. Warmer water act to melt ice from below. 'Extreme' weather at this point isn't the issue... this is a gradual climate change situation that has turned large parts of China into a growing desert. The same is true in the middle east as water tables continue to sink and rivers have decreased their flow due to less rain.
It's all to do with greenhouse gases. When things like fossil fuels are burnt, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. It gets trapped within the ozone layer as its meant to keep heat in but also let some through and keep some out. As the carbon dioxide builds up, the earths surface temperature slowly increases. The last time this happened and it got too much, there was an ice age. It makes weather more extreme as in hot as it is building up the earths surface temperature. It is slow in human years, but fast in earth years. When people use things such as cars, the fuel is burnt which releases carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere as I said before. Some scientists believe that man is speeding up the process of global warming although it is a natural process. Not all scientists believe that though, but some do believe that man is speeding it up.
Not much, yet. The weather is so variable that iti s hard to see a trend.
That is why we monitor AVERAGE temperature over decades to see a trend.
Weather has not become more extreme. Just because the news sensationalizes bad weather does not mean that the weather is more extreme..
it is dew to the wind not humans
Gosh that easy because Al Gore told us so, so you must believe it. never doubt it. Do not ask for prof
