What In The World Is Happening?

It is almost mid- February in Midwest-USA. Lake ice is still unsafe for fishermen and we have green grass instead of snow. Where is our "Good old-fashion winter" with blizzards and below zero temperatures? The term "Climate Change" has been quietly whispered, while critics claim that it’s only Nature’s Law-of Averages at work.

A January, 2012 golf-outing in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, in Europe and Western Russia, there are media reports of the worst February cold wave to hit that area in 25 years. The death toll has climbed to 280 people who have frozen to death over the last few days in Eastern Europe."Global warming might be the culprit", according to climatologists. The question arises: "How does a little local Arctic summertime warming result in freezing half the globe later?"

Dangerous low temperatures and heavier-than normal snow falls have been experienced in Eastern Europe and Russia.

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The Alfred Wegener Institute says that "Summertime warming is melting the Arctic ice, which leads to a more exposed Arctic Ocean. This, in turn releases heat into the atmosphere, triggering atmospheric dynamics that morphs into massive cold waves six months later".

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Over here in the USA, bird-watchers are reporting sightings of a rare bird called the Snowy Owl. These snow-white birds stand 2 feet tall with a 5-foot wingspan and are normally seen in their normal wintering grounds on the Arctic tundra and not in the U.S. An Ornithologist has reported that as many as 100 snowy owls have been reported in Wisconsin this winter. Normally no more than a dozen are spotted from coast to coast.

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The reason? Climate change may be responsible. These birds normally feed on lemmings.When the little rodent can’t find food, it moves to better feeding areas and the snowy owls have to find them or find another food source for themselves..

Lemmings are 90% of the snowy owl’s diet and weigh about 1-4 ozs, the size of a little guinea -pig.They do not hibernate through the harsh winters, but burrow through the snow and eat the grass, grubs and larvae while living in tunnels under the snow. Warmer winters result in increased periods of freezing and thawing, making the snow freeze at ground level, reducing access to their food and living habitat.

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When the lemmings are abundant, they are hard to miss. Norwegians have had to use snowplows to clear the squashed rodents off their roads. Sometimes their strong biological drive causes them to migrate in large groups as they swim to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat. So, the hungry snowy owl has come to feast on our mice and field rodents for winter food.

This temperature graph shows the average 20-yr high-low temperatures. The trend shows a spike in temperature action since the mid-80's as the Arctic ice melts.

We may not be the only creatures affected by "climate change". It affects the habits of the birds, the fish, and even lemmings. Not to mention the bank accounts of people who sell snow-blowers and skis.