Speed, heat, hurricanes, floods and Sahara sand: what did netizens not believe this year?

Speig does not deny climate warming in winter

At the beginning of the year, Lithuania was captured by a spy, and explanations poured in on social networks, as if this refutes climate change, primarily warming. It is said that the average global temperature can rise when the thermometer drops so low in winter.

Such conclusions are not correct – precisely because of climate change, such unusual phenomena as the long-experienced cold or warming in mid-winter, heat in summer or unusually long autumn, rains, snow in late spring are increasing.

One morning, temperatures in much of the country dropped into the 20s, and in some places even into the low 27-28 degrees of cold. At the same time, comments started appearing on social networks, saying that this refutes the warnings of scientists about climate change, which, among other things, manifests itself in a rise in the average global temperature.

Also read: It gets cold in the middle of winter, does that mean the climate doesn’t change? What scientists say about it

Why did it get so cold in the middle of winter, commented Vilnius University (VU) Departments of Hydrology and Climatology docent dr. Gintautas Stankūnavičius.

The cooling was predicted at the end of December, when the polar anticyclone began to strengthen over northern Scandinavia. It began to “pull” air from the Arctic basin (Polar Urals and New Earth region) towards Karelia, Finland, northern Sweden and the Baltic countries.

Many scientists claim that extreme events are increasing precisely as the climate warms. Often the climate, as at the beginning of the year, confused with the weather.

Weather describes the conditions – temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, etc. – at a specific time in a specific place. They can change in a minute, an hour, a day. Climate is the average weather over a longer period of time – several decades – and over a much larger area.

Also read: The snowfall has cast doubt on climate change, but the snowfall proves no hoax

“Global warming is a long-term trend, but that doesn’t mean that each year will be warmer than the last,” announces British Royal Society. – Daily and yearly changing weather patterns will continue to produce unusually cold days and nights, winters and summers, even as the climate warms.

Climate change refers not only to changes in global mean surface temperature, but also to changes in atmospheric circulation, the magnitude and patterns of natural climate fluctuations, and local weather patterns. <…> Stronger winds from the polar regions may contribute to an occasionally colder winter.”

Thunderstorms or blizzards in winter are weather phenomena caused by anticyclones, cold currents and other circumstances. They do not mean that average global temperatures are not rising. On the contrary, such extreme events and their frequency can be determined precisely by changes in the climate, which is the average weather over a long period of time.

The glow was not created by the most powerful transmitter

The northern lights shining in the sky in the spring not only caused the admiration of many, but also gave birth to a conspiracy theory that it was created artificially.

Claims spread on social networks that this phenomenon was caused by the American-funded atmospheric research program HAARP. That’s not true – the sky sparkled with different colors due to the most powerful solar storm in two decades.

At the beginning of May, an unusual phenomenon could be observed in the skies of Lithuania and many other countries – the northern lights. They really can create a person But not truethat the ones seen were created artificially, although they were at a similar time are performed ir HAARP tests– they were caused by a powerful geomagnetic storm.

HAARP (English High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program – High frequency active aurora research program) are attempts by scientists from all over the world to study the properties and behavior of the ionosphere (the upper layer of the atmosphere, located 50-965 km above the Earth’s surface).

Also read: Are the northern lights really created by a powerful laser operating in Alaska?

Research on the world’s most powerful high-frequency transmitter, which can be used to temporarily excite a limited region of the ionosphere, is underway from Gakona, Alaska. This research site was developed by the US military in the 1990s; since 2015 it is operated by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The program is funded by the military, the university and the US government.

The hurricane was turned by nature itself

HAARP continuously blame is placed due to various natural phenomena and disasters.

Also read: The liars did not have to wait long: they “found” the cause of the earthquakes in Alaska

For example, this program was recalled in late October when the Spanish city of Valencia was flooded, killing more than 200 people.

Also read: It didn’t take long: netizens “found” the culprits for the floods in Valencia, even Israel is mentioned

About how HAARP works for the fact-checking website Full Fact told British Geological Survey spokesman Ciaran Beggan.

“HAARP is just a radio transmitter, just like radio or television stations, air traffic control or cell phone transmitters. It cannot cause rain because it broadcasts radio waves, in the same way that light cannot create rain,” he explained.

The program was also mentioned when Hurricane Milton devastated the southeastern part of the United States in early October. An extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone (the strongest world this year) became the second most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, behind only Hurricane Rita in 2005. in September.

There is no evidence that it was created by scientists as a geoweapon or that any modifications were made to nature. Although attempts have been made to initiate tornadoes in laboratories for experimental purposes, to create a hurricane of this size and power simply impossible.

Also read: Was this year’s strongest hurricane Milton really artificial?

Experts explained that such a strong hurricane was formed due to favorable weather conditions. Climate change also played a role in their formation.

It wasn’t cloud seeding that flooded Dubai

Among the versions of what caused the sudden downpour in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and why Saudi Arabia was hit by hail, HAARP was also mentioned. These cataclysms this year have become a kind of statement that the climate is being changed consciouslysymbol.

In Saudi Arabia in April indeed hail fell. After that it was online is shared not one of these phenomenon frame.

Dubai in the same month caught up record rainfall. In the country fell out the heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with some areas receiving more than 250 mm in less than a day.

Also read: Does palm-sized hail in midsummer really mean the climate isn’t changing?

Conspiracy theorists were quick to announce that it was artificially caused by so-called cloud seeding.

It is modern technologywhich can be used to manipulate existing clouds to make more rain or snow fall from them. Airplanes that inject substances such as silver iodide into the clouds are commonly used to achieve this goal. Then the water vapor can more easily condense and turn into rain.

Also read: Cloud seeding has interested netizens: is it really visible in the video?

This method has been used for several decades, and in recent years the UAE has used it to solve the problem of water scarcity.

However, as Reuters stated UAE Meteorological Agency, no such operations were carried out before the said storm.

Also read: In Dubai, it rained in a day like in a year – is cloud seeding really to blame?

It was not the tractors that blew the Europon dust

Dust from the Sahara reached Europe at a similar time. It also gave birth liar. Footage was circulated on social networks, which allegedly confirmed that it happened due to the fault of people. One clip showed tractors lined up outside, allegedly spraying sand on top and artificially creating sand storm

Also read: Was the sand of the Sahara brought to Europe artificially?

In fact, the task of such tractors is to pick the seeds from the soil at a distance of a few centimeters from the surface, and for this they have to move the surface layers, raising the dust. The said images were on YouTube to publish still in 2019, so it could not be related to the sand that came from the Sahara this year.

The science page “Weather and climate in Lithuania” warned at the end of March that the roads are not only warm from the south (during Easter it was really are exceeded temperature records), but also for Saharan dust.

The Greek dust model SKIRON is said to have predicted that another southerly air flow from North Africa with high heat and dust will arrive over the Easter weekend. Much because of them air pollution increased solid particles.

The heat did not seem to be record high

Social media users couldn’t believe that a heat record could have been achieved this year.

The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service announced that it was recorded on June 28. In Druskininkai, the mercury rose to 34 degrees Celsius that day.

Also read: Confused in records: what was really the highest temperature in Lithuania?

This news was also published by a number of media outlets. It is true that not everywhere in the headlines emphasized that the record was only that day, not since the beginning of the measurements.

The latter was registered three decades ago – in 1994 In Zarasai, it was heated up to +37.5.

Until then, the hottest June 28 was in Kretinga. The temperature rose to 33.6 degrees there two years ago.

It rained mud – are the planes to blame?

This year, the so-called chemtrails are also to blame for the antics of the weather. When mud was poured in Lithuania at the beginning of October, users of social networks not only shared its photos, but also wondered if it was the effect of chemicals sprayed from airplanes.

This is just a conspiracy theory, and why did we get such precipitation, meteorologists explained.

Also read: Chemtrails are again to blame: did the “dirty rain” really fall from airplanes in Lithuania?

“Atmospheric frontal clouds have settled over our country today, it is raining in parts of Lithuania – that same evening, meteorologist Gytis Valaika wrote Facebook page “Weather and climate in Lithuania”. – When the raindrops dry, bright dusty marks remain.

These are particles of dust (and fire smoke) that came from the Caspian Sea region (via Ukraine and Belarus). Above our country, they mix with the moisture in the clouds and therefore fall together with the raindrops.”

Chemtrails exist one of the most popular conspiracy theoriesthe governments of the United States and other countries are intentionally spraying toxic chemicals or biological agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.) into the air in order to destroy or control humanity and influence the weather.

Its origins are associated with 1996. published a report by the US Air Force (USAF) that presented attempts to influence the weather.

Chemtrails are the white streaks behind flying planes that are actually ice crystals erupted from the engines at high altitude and humidity. frozen weather.

Also read: Did the former head of CŽA really admit the existence of chemtrails and the application of geoengineering?

Also read: Was there really an impressive band of “chemtrails” in the sky after the plane?

15min verdict: missing context. The American-funded atmospheric research program HAARP is often associated with various natural disasters and other phenomena, even the northern lights, but these are just conspiracy theories. Such unusual phenomena as extreme cold or heat (especially at unusual times), rains, hurricanes, etc. the cause is often climate change.

The publication was prepared in 15 minutes in partnership with Metait aims to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.