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Palm Springs, 2004
There used to be water that flowed down the San Jacinto Mountains this time of year. Could it be global warming causing the West's drought?
I'm not sure. As a guy who's had a couple of climatology courses under his belt (I've got a B.S. degree in meteorology from FSU), I know there have been longer and worse droughts than this before.
On the other hand, one might conclude that, with all the melting water at the poles, the ocean is cooling. Of course the dynamics are much more complex that that. In meteorology, they use equations, with each variable weighted according to how much scientists think it affects the climate.
What would you guess in percentage terms the weight (in percent) of the temperture of the water of the melted ice at the poles would affect the climate? Come on now, buddying daily photo scientists, take a swipe at this one!
Other variables: The West is very rainy when El Nino is present because of warmer ocean tempertures. Consider, too, that upwelling is a natural occourance on the West coast. Upwelling is caused by the earth's rotation. When the earth turns, the top layers of the ocean get dragged out to sea, letting the colder deeper water flow upward to the surface.
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