A scientist has highlighted the role played by climate change in the devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice.
According to Natasha Stavros, director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub and a fire scientist who studies mega-fires at the University of Colorado-Boulder, "This kind of event that happens in December with a lot of rain to increase fuels early in the year and then no rain later in the year that dries them out is very much associated with climate change."
Share to Facebook Post to Twitter Email La Niña means that water temperatures in the Central Pacific Ocean are lower than average for at least three months in a row. Courtesy graphic.
The world is currently experiencing a La Niña cycle, which means that water temperatures in the Central Pacific Ocean are lower than average for at least three months in a row. The threshold to be in La Niña is at least 0.5 degrees Celsius lower than average, or about one degree Fahrenheit. An El Niño period is the opposite, with water temperatures at least 0.5 degrees Celsius higher-than-average. A La Niña period gets categorized as weak, moderate or strong, but can’t be categorized until it’s over and temperature data can be analyzed. The most recent La Niña was 2017-18. Over the last 50 years, time has been more or less evenly split between La Niña, El Niño, or nothing water temperatures close to average.