Many variables go into the creation of a huge storm, the size of hurricane Sandy or any other storm cannot directly be related to climate change. This does not mean however, that climate change contributes nothing at all to variances in weather patterns. Would large storms be taking place even without global warming? Yes, of course they would as storms have taken place under every set of temperatures and ocean levels since this Earth was formed. Global warming, which is known to cause an increase in ocean temperatures would not so much make a vast increase in the number of storms we experience every year, but supporting evidence does show that global warming contributes to stronger hurricanes. I found a good explanation for hurricane Sandy which I honestly cannot put into better words myself, so I’m going to quote this person from the website, the source is located below, “Hurricane Sandy got large because it wandered north along the U.S. coast, where ocean water is still warm this time of year, pumping energy into the swirling system. But it got even larger when a cold Jet Stream made a sharp dip southward from Canada down into the eastern U.S. The cold air, positioned against warm Atlantic air, added energy to the atmosphere and therefore to Sandy, just as it moved into that region, expanding the storm even further.” [1] There you have it folks, that is how Sandy became as powerful as she did.  My first question after reading this quote was what is a jet stream?  A Jet stream is narrow air currents found in the atmosphere, these air currents can be very powerful wind streams and but also can be mellower air streams, it depends on what altitude you are at. Strong jet streams are found in our atmosphere around 23,000 – 39,000 feet above sea level and very frequently cause planes to be delayed. With all of this being said, essentially hurricane Sandy got it’s strength from  the ocean water temperature and a cold Jet Stream.  I’m not totally sure how the cold jet stream dipped down so low form Canada, but global warming does contribute to rise in ocean temperatures, which when mixed with cold air currents causes an increase in a storm’s strength. This proves that Global warming can in fact contribute to the strength of a storm.

For those who may have forgotten, this is what hurricane Sandy looked like over America when it struck in late October of 2012.

Sources:

1.) http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/10/30/did-climate-change-cause-hurricane-sandy/

2.)  http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276?image=2#jMVhe3Vrp9uboELc.99

3.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_stream

GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) are a big debate today among countries because of the health effects they can have on humans and other animals.  As many people know, GMO’s are implemented commonly in plant crops where companies are using molecular biology techniques to more efficiently produce and enhance food for human and other animal consumption. Essentially what happens is these plants are modified in a laboratory to enhance desired traits.  They do this so the plants will be more pest, disease, weed and cold resistant, among other advantages. Additionally, many crops are infused with genes that make them more nutritious for us and has helped many people in developing nations. Overall, these scientific techniques do help the world greatly by sustaining and feeding our growing human population which topples over 7 billion people now.

Though these GMO’s do help us in many ways they also can cause harm. Some independent farmers have been victim to the corporation Monsanto, where plant gene transfer happened to unintentional targets. Monsanto’s farm fields are next to other farmers’ fields, and the wind blows Monsanto’s GMO pollen into other people’s fields of crops. Monsanto would then sue those farmers for not paying them compensation for using their product, putting many out of business. Additionally, GMO’s have been known to cause allergies among  some humans and unintended harm has been done to other animals.  For example the pollen from corn contains a GMO called B.t and when also blown into other farmer’s fields,  many times it has been digested by monarch caterpillars and kills them.

Below are some interesting graphs giving you a good insight of how today’s world is producing and consuming GMO grown crops.

Amount of Earth’s Land Used To Grow GMO Crops

Countries Producing GMO Crops

Overall I am on the fence about this issue of whether GMO’s should be abandoned all together or their usage only minimized.  But I hope this information can help people figure out their stance on this issue. The information above can be checked at these sources…….   http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php       http://www.itmonline.org/arts/gmo.htm