Today the prevailing winds blow west to east in the continental United States. This has not always been the case however. During the last ice age (36,000 to 14,000 years ago) winds blew from east to west.
Today's Pacific Northwest known for raining every three days was once much drier due to the previous wind direction for example. The glaciers would have created a wind and moisture barrier which would cause the boundary of the glaciers to have weather like Mount Washington.
Scientists speculate that the winds change course with significant climate change. Just goes to show how the idea of a "natural equilibrium" is flawed and how volatile our world is. (Hat tip: Very Spatial)
3 comments:
I never knew about the direction of wind during the ice age. This is fascinating SD older person
The fact that the earth's climate has been volatile in the past does nothing to change the fact that climate change is a threat to our current way of life. I don't know if that's what you're getting at, but it's frequently used as a way to minimize/ridicule people who are concerned about climate change.
Adrian,
I agree. As I have stated before while I may disagree with much of the blame I do not have problems with trying to adapt to climate change no matter how small or large it may be.
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