An extreme heat wave has hit parts of the United States and Canada, causing hundreds of deaths. According to scientists, this phenomenon is a clear sign that climate change is a real problem.
As quoted from the BBC, Sunday (11/7/2021) such a deadly heat wave is an event that usually happens once in a thousand years. However, this phenomenon will become more common as global temperatures rise due to climate change.
The conclusion was made in a recent study by 27 international researchers who are part of the World Weather Attribution.
If humans had not influenced the climate so far, then extreme heat wave events would be 150 times less likely to occur. However, global warming is increasingly worrying, for example, still relying on fossil fuels.
The heat wave in Canada is surprising because it increased by more than 4 degrees Celsius. Canada's previous record high was 45 degrees Celsius. A few days ago, Lytton Village in British Columbia set a new record with a temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius.
In the states of Oregon and Washington, the United States and western Canada, some cities saw temperatures above 40 degrees. Hundreds of people have reportedly died and the number of patients in hospitals is increasing.
The cause is the hot dome phenomenon. A heat dome is basically a weather phenomenon where high atmospheric pressure conditions trap air coming from the Pacific Ocean, creating an air space and compressing it downwards, making the temperature warmer.
"It's like a bicycle pump. If you pump air into a bicycle tire, the air gets warmer," said Philip Mote, professor of weather at Oregon State University.
This situation also prevents the formation of clouds, so that the rays from the sun shine freely. "We have seen this kind of phenomenon before, but this time it is much stronger," he said.
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