California heat waves are increasing toward the coast
Climate researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California, San Diego have found that heat waves in California are trending toward becoming more humid with elevated temperatures at night and are becoming stronger in densely populated coastal areas. The study will be published in the American Geophysical Union publication, Geophysical Research Letters.
The trend differs from the classic California heat waves that occur in interior desert and valley areas and typically have hot days and dryness and cooling at night, according to the American Geophysical Union. The trend also has important implications for human health and for triggering higher energy demands, according to researchers Alexander Gershunov and Kristen Guirguis. As reported in The Desert Sun:
“Coastal communities are acclimated to cooler mean temperatures and are not well prepared for extreme heat either physiologically or technologically through air conditioning use,” Guirguis said.
“Populations tend to adapt to changes in their average conditions but extreme events can catch people off-guard. An increase in heat wave intensity relative to average conditions could mean much more heat-related illness during heat waves unless effective heat emergency plans are implemented.”
“Populations tend to adapt to changes in their average conditions but extreme events can catch people off-guard. An increase in heat wave intensity relative to average conditions could mean much more heat-related illness during heat waves unless effective heat emergency plans are implemented.”
The researchers used a methodology to compensate for the fact that what has been considered extreme heat is now becoming commonplace. They projected heat wave intensity against a backdrop of increasing summertime temperatures, instead of relative to a fixed temperature threshold.
“The advantage of using this evolving ‘non-stationary’ definition is that heat waves remain extreme events even under much warmer climate,” said Gershunov.
-Bill at
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