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Data collected at highest mountain in northeast US help track changes in climate

Data collected at highest mountain in northeast US help track changes in climate
TOP-- LET'S START FROM THE TOP-- I RECENTLY TOOK A TRIP TO THE HIGHEST POINT IN <VO> THE HIGHER SUMMITS OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WHITE MOUNTAINS ARE NOT ONLY KNOWN FOR ITS VIEWS AND RATHER HARSH CONDITIONS. IN A WAY IT IS ALSO A PERFECT HUB FOR UNIQUE RESEARCH THAT CAN TRULY SHOW US HOW SENSITIVE OUR PLANET IS TO THE CHANGES THAT ARE OCCURRING WITH OUR CLIMATE. A FRIGID AND WINDY OVERLOOK MAY NOT BE THE FIRST PLACE ONE MAY THINK OF LOOKING WHEN IT COMES TO GLOBAL WARMING BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IT IS ALL RELATIVE IN NATURE. <RADEK ON CAM> (CLIP ENDING IN 286.MXF) 19:37:50 - 19:37:59 HERE ON MOUNT WASHINGTON WE ARE NOT ONLY TRACKING THE MOST EXTREME WEATHER ON EARTH BUT ALSO CRUCIAL DATA HERE ON THE SUMMIT THAT WILL HELP DETERMINE HOW WE FORECAST OUR FUTURE. <SOT> (FRANCIS TARASIEWICZ - OBSERVER - MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY) (CLIP ENDING IN 284.MXF) 19:22:33 - 19:22:45 "YES THERE HAS BEEN A WARMING AND MORE SPECIFICALLY SINCE ABOUT TWO THOUSAND THE WARMING HAS OCCURRED. AND ANOTHER TIDBIT ABOUT WARMING HERE ON THE SUMMIT IS THAT IT HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER THAN THE SURROUNDING VALLEYS AND MOST OF NEW ENGLAND AS WELL." <VO> IN SUCH A REMOTE AREA IT MAY SEEM DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE HOW EQUIPMENT HOLDS UP IN SUCH EXTREME CONDITIONS BUT REST ASSURED THE OBSERVATORY HAS TOP NOTCH DATA COLLECTING PRACTICES THAT MAKE SUCH STATISTICS INVALUABLE. <SOT> (FRANCIS TARASIEWICZ - OBSERVER - MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY) (CLIP ENDING IN 284.MXF) 19:23:29 - 19:23:39 "WE'VE BEEN RECORDING OUR EARLY WEATHER DATA SINCE THE NINETEEN THIRTIES AND SO OUR METHODS HAVEN'T CHANGED WE ARE STILL USING A LOT OF THE SAME EQUIPMENT AND THE GRAPH YOU ACTUALLY SEE RIGHT HERE WAS QUALITY TESTED." <RADEK ON CAM> (CLIP ENDING IN 291.MXF) 19:40:36 - 19:40:49 SO AS WE COULD SEE OUR CHANGING CLIMATE IS NOT ONLY AFFECTING MAJOR CITIES BIG POPULATION CENTERS OR EVEN JUST LOW LYING AREAS UP HERE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS WE ARE STARTING TO SEE AGAIN THAT DATA SHOW THAT OUR CLIMATE IS INDEED AFFECTING THESE HIGHER SUMMITS <SOT> (FRANCIS TARASIEWICZ - OBSERVER - MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY) (CLIP ENDING IN 284.MXF) 19:23:56 - 19:24:09 "WE HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR WINTERS ARE LESS RELIABLE WE ARE GETTING A LOT MORE OF THOSE RAIN ON SNOW EVENTS THOSE MID-WINTER THAWS AND SO WHERE OUR
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Data collected at highest mountain in northeast US help track changes in climate
The higher summits of New Hampshire's White Mountains are not only known for their views and rather harsh conditions – they are also a perfect hub for unique research that can show us how sensitive our planet is to the changes that are occurring with our climate.A frigid and windy overlook may not be the first place one may think of looking when it comes to global warming, but we have to keep in mind it is all relative in nature.On Mount Washington, we are not only tracking the most extreme weather on Earth but also crucial data here on the summit that will help determine how we forecast our future.Francis Tarasiewicz is an observer at the Mt. Washington Observatory."There has been a warming. More specifically, since about 2000, the warming has occurred. And another tidbit about warming here on the summit is that it has been significantly slower than the surrounding valleys and most of New England as well," Tarasiewicz said.In such a remote area, it may seem difficult to imagine how equipment holds up in such extreme conditions, but rest assured, the observatory has top-notch data-collecting practices that make such statistics invaluable."We've been recording our early weather data since the 1930s, and so our methods haven't changed; we are still using a lot of the same equipment, and the graph you actually see right here was quality tested," Tarasiewicz said.Our changing climate is not only affecting major cities or even just low-lying areas. In the White Mountains, we are starting to see again that data shows our climate is affecting these higher summits.Tarasiewicz adds that the data may also help with understanding how the Canadian tundra may be affected by climate change as the summit can be comparable to those latitudes to our north.While these higher elevations have largely been delayed when it comes to the effects of a warming climate, recent studies show us how even subtle signs speak volumes about what is happening with our climate.

The higher summits of New Hampshire's White Mountains are not only known for their views and rather harsh conditions – they are also a perfect hub for unique research that can show us how sensitive our planet is to the changes that are occurring with our climate.

A frigid and windy overlook may not be the first place one may think of looking when it comes to global warming, but we have to keep in mind it is all relative in nature.

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On Mount Washington, we are not only tracking the most extreme weather on Earth but also crucial data here on the summit that will help determine how we forecast our future.

Francis Tarasiewicz is an observer at the Mt. Washington Observatory.

"There has been a warming. More specifically, since about 2000, the warming has occurred. And another tidbit about warming here on the summit is that it has been significantly slower than the surrounding valleys and most of New England as well," Tarasiewicz said.

In such a remote area, it may seem difficult to imagine how equipment holds up in such extreme conditions, but rest assured, the observatory has top-notch data-collecting practices that make such statistics invaluable.

"We've been recording our early weather data since the 1930s, and so our methods haven't changed; we are still using a lot of the same equipment, and the graph you actually see right here was quality tested," Tarasiewicz said.

Our changing climate is not only affecting major cities or even just low-lying areas. In the White Mountains, we are starting to see again that data shows our climate is affecting these higher summits.

Tarasiewicz adds that the data may also help with understanding how the Canadian tundra may be affected by climate change as the summit can be comparable to those latitudes to our north.

While these higher elevations have largely been delayed when it comes to the effects of a warming climate, recent studies show us how even subtle signs speak volumes about what is happening with our climate.