Natural Disasters, Possibly Linked.

Studies from the Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research show that the recent natural disasters may be interrelated. The floods in Pakistan and the wildfires in Russia, though a continent apart, could be related though the Asian monsoon. The East Asian Monsoon is said to be one of the most significant atmospheric forces on the earth. The monsoon is a ‘seasonal wind system’, which while bringing rain to much of Asia, drives circulation to Europe. With so much air going into the atmosphere, it has to come down somewhere, and the majority of it is settling over Russia. The high pressure attracts heat waves, as well as causing air to descend, and fewer clouds to form. This wouldn’t be as big of a deal if it wasn’t coupled with the ascending temperature of the sea (caused by global warming). The warmer water sends more moisture into the air, which can supercharge monsoon rains, which could have easily caused the devastating floods in Pakistan.

The connection between this article and concepts of science, and furthermore, biology, is that these horrifying disasters are affecting the lives and well-being of many organisms. The wildfires in Moscow are the result of the worst heat waves Russia has seen in centuries, contaminating the area around Moscow in smog, as well as spreading wildfires all over the country. The wildfires could easily be killing off many of the animals that live in the area. The monsoon rains led to the worst flooding Pakistan has seen in over eighty years. The flood has affected more than fourteen million people, as well as the animals that resided in the country.

As human beings, we should care about the cause of these disasters, because of the devastating effect they are having on so many people. The death toll from the combination of these two disasters has exceeded fifteen hundred, and is very likely to continue to grow in number. Global warming played a huge role in these two disasters, and precautions should be taken so there is no repeat of these incidents in the future.

Source: Dell'Amore, Christine. "Russia Fires, Pakistan Floods, Linked?". National Geographic, August 11, 2010.

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