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Instructions:  Conduct research about a recent current event using credible sources. Then, compile what you’ve learned to write your own hard or soft news article. Minimum: 250 words. Feel free to do outside research to support your claims.  Remember to: be objective, include a lead that answers the...

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Throughout Europe, countries like France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and many others have experienced this blistering heat for two whole months.

This outbreak has caused numerous wildfires as temperatures are soaring higher and higher near or more than 100 degrees. It has caused countless disastrous changes by causing droughts and causing millions worth of damage. There is more yet to come for the rest of this year.

Global warming was one of the significant contributions to this heatwave as the carbon emissions have created a greenhouse-like effect, creating more heat. Global warming creates heat, and the atmospheric circulation pushes around the heat to certain places. Scientists have noticed that most of the hot air is moving to Europe.

The heat produced from global warming arrives in Europe because of the low-pressure areas that force air from North Africa. “It’s pumping hot air northward,” said Kai Kornhuber, a researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

The low-pressure difference has caused the heatwaves in England. The heat had initially stayed in Portugal because of the “cutoff low,” westerly winds that act like a stream of wind that goes around the planet high in the atmosphere. However, now the heat has spread to England.

The heatwaves have changed the properties of the jet stream, which may cause it to split in two. Researchers had discovered this phenomenon in many European heatwaves when the jet stream had temporarily split in two, which is the case for this week’s heatwave in Europe.

Effects from the melting ice caps from the Arctic may also play a role in this heatwave. When the Arctic warms, the temperature difference between the Arctic and the equator lessens. The warmer Arctic temperatures decrease summertime winds, which causes the weather systems to linger for longer.

In addition to melting ice caps, the ocean currents are also changing. Dr. Rousi published a paper last year, with the help of computer simulations, showing that the ocean currents are becoming weaker. Because of this incident, the atmospheric circulation will be weaker.

Although there are many other possible reasons why Europe is going through these blistering hot heat waves, scientists and researchers still speculate that climate change is the primary factor in all these heat waves and temperature changes. Climate change has affected worldwide but is now primarily affecting the Arctic and droughts throughout Europe, Asia, and other places like Texas in North America.

Source: Why Europe Is Becoming a Heat Wave Hot Spot.

https://news.yahoo.com/why-europe-becoming-heat-wave-120145440.html

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