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A phenomenon that has made California wildfires more destructive is now affecting areas beyond the state's borders.
Climate “whiplash” refers to the drastic swings between very wet weather and very dry weather.
Dealing with either drought or extreme rain is challenging on its own. The issue with whiplash is that the severity of the shift from one condition to another exacerbates their impacts.
This was evident in Los Angeles where two consecutive very wet winters encouraged abundant plant growth, which then dried out during an extended, scorching summer, resulting in ideal conditions for wildfires.
According to climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain from UCLA, if not for this fluctuation, there could still have been severe fires, but the event was certainly intensified by this specific sequence.
Heavy rain can cause landslides and flooding when it runs off scorched earth. Filling reservoirs should help prevent drought, but sudden, heavy downpours can also cause overflow, resulting in surrounding areas becoming flooded.
How is whiplash changing?
A certain degree of whiplash is natural. However, scientists are increasingly discussing it as climate change exacerbates the condition worldwide.
This is because the atmosphere behaves like a sponge: it can absorb and release water. The warmer it is, the more water it can absorb and subsequently release too.
Thus, by warming the atmosphere, climate change effectively enlarges the size of the sponge, at an exponential rate.
Research by the charity WaterAid has highlighted at least 17 major cities where climate whiplash is intensifying, out of 112 analyzed (the world’s 100 largest plus 12 additional cities where WaterAid operates).
While recent Los Angeles wildfires may be memorable, there are other locations that are far more susceptible.
This is partly because they lack the wealth of areas like Hollywood, with less developed infrastructure and poorer communities, and also because the weather swings are more extreme.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/the-furious-rise-of-climate-whiplash-13326408
