Science warns of disaster 'Icemageddon' accompanied by severe weather

After the record-breaking heat, the US continues to receive a series of unusual weather

Picture 1 of Science warns of disaster 'Icemageddon' accompanied by severe weather

Ice rain makes driving extremely dangerous.

Huge icebergs are appearing to block traffic in Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city. This place is experiencing a series of storms that appear during the winter, like never before.

Scientists believe that the burning of fossil fuels and other uncontrolled human activities are changing the climate, making it more unpredictable and prone to natural disasters. have a heavy impact.

Rick Thoman, a weather expert at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, described the weather conditions over the past few days in the area as "very unusual".

Hours after Kodiak Island in southern Alaska recorded a temperature of 19.4 degrees Celsius - the warmest December temperature ever recorded, suddenly a "pour" rain poured down, said to be unprecedented. seen in history. Then the temperature dropped sharply and all froze.

In California, persistent snow and rain also continued to cause serious problems such as local flooding, forcing residents to evacuate areas around Los Angeles.

In the northern part of the state, Lake Tahoe - the site of a wildfire a few months ago - has been buried in heavy snow, killing several people. In November 2021, unusual ice rains also caused widespread blackouts in the Far East when the power plant in Russia's Vladivostok had to be halted due to a snowstorm.

Icemageddon - what kills dinosaurs will make humans struggle?

Picture 2 of Science warns of disaster 'Icemageddon' accompanied by severe weather

Variations of "Armageddon" (apocalypse), "Icemageddon" is a way of referring to a dangerous form of natural disaster, with the presence of ice storms, along with the formation of a thick layer of ice on the surface. soil.

Achieving this condition requires two factors, namely heavy rains as temperatures warm, then suddenly turn cold, falling below freezing (0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit).

The humid air also makes the situation dangerous, with the appearance of heavy rains of ice.

When large amounts of rain tape stick to objects, tree branches can become heavier and bent. They also cover the road surface with a layer of slippery ice, making it easy for pedestrians to fall, and traffic is in danger.

In addition, ice rain also causes a lot of damage such as mass crop death, power grid disruption due to ice clinging to power lines. Ice clinging to an aircraft's wings can also cause serious operational problems.

According to calculations by scientists, the current extinction rate is 4,000 times faster than the time of the dinosaurs, when all human impacts left heavy consequences for nature, which is difficult to recover. The overexploitation of natural resources without conservation and preservation has gradually lost the life of the entire living world.

Occurring 251 million years ago, the Permian extinction event that caused more than 90% of marine life and 70% of terrestrial life was completely wiped out, also from the greenhouse effect that made the Earth hotter. and face ever more extreme natural disasters. Even in the ocean, changing ocean currents have wiped out many ecosystems, making life extremely fragile.