USA Today

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Causes of Calif. drought natural, not man-made: NOAA
USA Today

Natural weather patterns, not man-made global warming, are causing the historic drought parching California, says a study out Monday from federal scientists.

« It’s important to note that California’s drought, while extreme, is not an uncommon occurrence for the state, » said Richard Seager, the report’s lead author and professor with Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. The report was sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The report did not appear in a peer-reviewed journal but was reviewed by other NOAA scientists.

« In fact, multiyear droughts appear regularly in the state’s climate record, and it’s a safe bet that a similar event will happen again, » he said.

The persistent weather pattern over the past several years has featured a warm, dry ridge of high pressure over the eastern north Pacific Ocean and western North America. Such high-pressure ridges prevent clouds from forming and precipitation from falling.

The study notes that this ridge — which has resulted in decreased rain and snowfall since 2011 — is almost opposite to what computer models predict would result from human-caused climate change.

Les médias d’ici aiment bien nous dire que la sécheresse en Californie est le résultat du réchauffement climatique. Mais quand des scientifiques montrent que le réchauffement climatique aurait dû faire augmenter les précipitations sur la Californie, personne n’en parle.

Si les Québécois sont si unanimes à dire que le réchauffement climatique est une vérité immuable et inattaquable, c’est surtout parce qu’ils sont maintenus dans un état perpétuel d’ignorance par leurs médias.