由全球科學家組成的公益團體
「憂思科學家聯盟」 （UCS）本月1日舉行視訊會議，會中氣候專家形容全球暖化為「在骰子裡灌了鉛」，增加破紀錄暴風雪發生的頻率，就如同過去兩年冬季肆虐美國與歐洲的雪災。
「嚴重暴風雪與地球的暖化並不互相牴觸。」地下氣象網站（Weather Underground）的氣象主任兼共同創辦人馬斯特斯博士（Dr. Jeff Masters）說：「事實上，當地球變得更溫暖，會有更多溼氣被吸收到大氣當中，我們不斷的在骰子中灌入重量，而讓一年四季產生更多的劇烈風暴，這都會造成社會更大的影響。」
馬斯特斯警告，今年冬天還會有更多劇烈降雪，而美國中西部地區應準備好迎接今年春季破紀錄的大水。
「我們也正經歷春天早到的現象（spring creep），由於氣溫較一般狀況更溫暖，縮短了冬天時程。」馬斯特斯說：「舉例來說，我們現在在美國西部山區可看到春季溶雪的逕流，比60年前提早了1到3個星期。」
憂思科學家聯盟的氣候科學家桑福德（Todd Sanford）說：「想像大氣是塊海綿，有兩件事會發生：更多的水分從海洋蒸發，同時間，當大氣變暖後，它能夠容納更多的水蒸氣。這意味著，我們會在暴雨期間從海綿中擠出水來，因而預期未來的降雨事件會愈發強勁。」
「北極海冰規模縮減創新低紀錄，影響著大氣環流模式，並造成我們所看到的冬季極端天氣。今後，我們能預期非常大量的降雪、春天提早來到，以及嚴重水患將構成威脅。」桑福德如此說道。
自1980年代早期便投入研究北極氣候的瑟瑞茲博士（Dr. Serreze）表示，北極的氣溫在今年夏天逼近歷史高點。而2010年12月至2011年2月期間，海冰覆蓋的面積縮減至歷史低點。
瑟瑞茲說，海冰減少，意味更多溼氣進入大氣中，並以其他方式影響著全球天氣。
他解釋，連續兩個冬天以來，科學家在今年已觀察到異常強烈的負相位北極震盪，這是一種發生在極地區域的大氣環流模式。
在負相位的階段，氣壓會較北極區平常要高，風場模式會把高於平均溫度的空氣帶入極地，同時寒冷的空氣則溢漏到中緯度的美國與歐洲。
Global warming is "loading the dice" to increase the frequency of record-setting snowstorms like those that have pounded the United States and Europe the past two winters, said climate scientists on a teleconference held Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"Heavy snowstorms are not inconsistent with a warming planet," said Dr. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology and co-founder of the Weather Underground website. "In fact, as the Earth gets warmer and more moisture gets absorbed into the atmosphere, we are steadily loading the dice in favor of more extreme storms in all seasons, capable of causing greater impacts on society."
There are more heavy snowfalls still to come this winter and the Upper Midwest should be prepared for record flooding in the spring, Masters warned.
"We're also experiencing spring creep, where the warmer than average temperatures are shortening the length of winter," Masters said. "For instance, we're now seeing spring runoff in the mountains in the western United States starting one to three weeks earlier than 60 years ago."
Todd Sanford, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists said, "Think of atmosphere as a sponge.Two things happen: more water evaporates from the oceans. At the same time as atmosphere warms, it's able to hold more water vapor. That means that when we squeeze water out of sponge during storms, we're seeing it as much heavier precipitation events.
"Record low levels of sea ice in the Arctic affect atmospheric circulation patterns, causing the extreme winter weather we've been seeing. In the future, said Sanford, we can expect very heavy snowfalls, spring creep and the threat of serious flooding.
Dr. Serreze, who has been studying the Arctic climate since the early 1980s, said temperatures there have been near record high levels this winter. The area covered with sea ice shrank to record low levels for December 2010 through February 2011.
Less sea ice means more moisture in the atmosphere, said Serreze, and it affects global weather in other ways.
For the second winter in a row, he explained, scientists have seen an unusually strong negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, an atmospheric circulation pattern in polar regions.
During a negative phase, when atmospheric pressure is higher than normal in the Arctic, wind patterns bring warmer than average temperatures to the Arctic, while colder air spills down into the middle latitudes in the U.S. and Europe.
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
