Summers could last half a year by the end of the century due to global warming

Scientists believe that if nothing is done to reduce the effects of green house emissions, summers could last six months every year by the end of the century.

Summers could last half a year by the end of the century
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Summers could last half a year by the end of the century

Though this might sound like a good thing at first, you might want to think again. Scientists believe that summers in the Northern Hemisphere could last up to six months every year by the time we get to the year 2100 if we don't a find a way to reverse the effects of global warming.

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Autumn, winter and spring are all getting shorter

In a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientist found that between 1952 and 2011 summer grew from 78 days to 95 days while every other season got shorter. Winters went from 76 days to 73, Autumns from 87 to 82 days and most affected of all is Spring that went from 124 days to 115.

Increasing evidence suggests that the length of a single season or in regional scales has changed under global warming, but a hemispherical-scale response of the four seasons in the past and future remains unknown. We find that summer in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes has lengthened, whereas winter has shortened, owing to shifts in their onsets and withdrawals, accompanied by shorter spring and autumn.

Adding that:

Such changes in lengths and onsets can be mainly attributed to greenhouse-warming. Even if the current warming rate does not accelerate, changes in seasons will still be exacerbated in the future. Under the business-as-usual scenario, summer is projected to last nearly half a year, but winter less than two months by 2100.

What does having longer summers entail?

Having longer summers doesn't just mean that we'll have more days to enjoy the sun at the beach with our mates. In the contrary, the effects could be catastrophic.

Scientists predict that if we keep up our careless behaviour with the environment, the impact will be seen on our agriculture, natural resources as well as on the survival of other species inhabiting our planet. In addition to this, a considerable increase in heatwaves, storms and wildfires can be expected.

This is what global warming sounds like - according to a scientist This is what global warming sounds like - according to a scientist