This year is a miserable year for snow lovers, to be sure. As I type, here in Vermont our scant snow coverage is being ruined by rain and warm temperatures. It’s not hard to remember what last year was like, though. Vermont was socked in under several feet of snow that didn’t let up until April. Both winters were relatively warm, but last year was extremely snowy. And, according to Jeff Masters, an excellent meteorologist and one of the most convincing supporters of acknowledging and halting human-caused climate change, last year may actually be more symptomatic of human-caused climate change than this year. This year’s odd weather may be at least in part due to natural fluctuations in sun activity.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2010

Right now the Arctic Oscillation, which influences the storm track and flow of cold air, is in a ‘positive’ pattern, which means a warm, less snowy winter in most of the US, but heavy snow in Alaska and the Alps. Last year there was a negative Arctic Oscillation, which meant heavy snows over much of the eastern US as well as England, but very warm conditions over Greenland. The fluctuations of the Arctic Oscillation have been very extreme lately, and this may be in fact due to human-caused climate change (via loss of sea ice)… but if so, human actions are causing not only this year’s crappy snow, but last year’s dumpings as well. On the one hand, perhaps we are causing the system to become unstable and fluctuate wildly, which would cause more years like this but also heavier snowstorms during other years. On the other hand, it may be that this year is unrelated to anthropomorphic global warming, in which case next year, and perhaps the next few decades, will flop back to the very snowy pattern. If this is the case, this article and other articles like it could be detrimental to getting people to act to stop global warming, because the denialists will dig this up and wave it around next year as we dig out from dozens of nor’easters. In fact, some believe our increasing the intensity of storms will override the warming, bury areas in snow, causing cooling and setting off an ice age (perhaps in association with interrupted ocean currents)! This seems less likely than not, but if it does happen, we’re in as much trouble if not more.

The system is very complex and downright scary in its sensitivity, and we would be best to avoid ‘poking’ it with our actions, because it only harms us. As such, your suggestions at the end of the article are good ones.

Thanks.