What is attribution science?
Climate and weather are related — but not the same. Climate describes patterns of weather in an area over long stretches of time. Weather refers to specific events, such as hot days or thunderstorms. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are all examples of extreme weather.
When extreme weather occurs, people often want to know if climate change is to blame. However, notes Stephanie Herring, “there’s no way to answer that question.” Herring is a climate scientist at the National Centers for Environmental Information in Boulder, Colo. Any weather event could happen by chance, she explains. It could simply be part of the natural variation in weather.
It’s better, she says, to ask about the influence of climate change. A region’s climate sets the stage for an extreme event. Scientists can then probe: Did climate change make some extreme event worse?
Read more at Science News for Students.
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