Weather. The force that inhabits our atmosphere, changes our skies, and controls our disposition. Sunlight brightens up our day, rain makes crops grow, and snow blankets the land in white beauty. On the other hand, the sun burns us and ignites fires, rain causes flooding and landslides, and snow disrupts our travels and isolates us from the outside world. It effects us so much that part of virtually every news broadcast and newspaper is dedicated to telling us what to expect see when we look out the window or feel when we step outside. Regardless of whether their predictions are correct, we still rely heavily on meteorologists, as if they were psychics and the world was their glass ball. Precipitation falls from the clouds in various forms and in various quantities, creating different situations in different areas at different times.
Weather affects people directly and psychologically. Cultures have given different meanings to meteorological occurrences and phenomena since the dawn of man. In Greek mythology, Zeus is the god of the sky who throws lightning bolts down to earth. Poseidon, his brother, controls all the oceans, seas, and waters of the world. The greatest god in Egyptian mythology is Amun-Ra, who is otherwise known as the sun god. The sun allows us to live, the rain is a symbol of rebirth and replenishment, while the snow is related to deathly cold. Personally, I enjoy experiencing different types of weather, as I have all my life. I know, though, that if I am stuck in an environment without sun for a long period of time, it greatly effects how I feel and act. Studies have shown that humans have a biological and mental necessity for sunlight. Too much exposure to rainy and snowy weather can bring about depression, as studies have shown in Wales, Scandinavia, and other regions with similar climates.
Two days ago I experienced the first tropical storm of my life. As Cyclone Phyan moved northwards just off the west coast of India, its effects reached my school campus, located 40 kilometers west of Pune. The way in which the forces of wind and rain combined was something I had never lived through before. Branches snapped off trees, roads flooded, and a streetlight fell down and shattered. Winds from the storm were measured at up to 95 km/h (60 mp/h) sustained for a period of a whole minute. This meteorological phenomenon was foreign to me. I live in a part of the United States where I hear about cyclones and hurricanes, but never experience them first hand. Therefore, I found myself hyping the size and potential that Phyan had, whereas others around me acted as if it was an event that occurred at least annually. The cyclone ended up passing by Mumbai and dissipating soon after it hit land.
People are largely shaped by the weather of the area they live in. Those that live in India, Japan, and the entire southeastern coast of the United States (from eastern Texas all the way to Virginia) are familiar with cyclones and other such weather systems as a result of their presence on an ocean coast. Due to the fact that they are in the direct path of oceanic storms, individuals in these areas know how to prepare themselves for such occasions. In late August of 2005, the city of New Orleans attempted to ready itself for Hurricane Katrina. However, due to its position below sea level, the city could not withstand the force of the storm. The levees that were built were no match for Katrina, and as they fell, a large part of the city in turn went underwater.
Just as the people who live on ocean coasts must take into consideration the possibility of harsh tropical storms, so too do other people have to make weather-dependent provisions based on the climate of their personal habitats. Just as tropical cyclones only form in certain areas in the oceans and affect certain land areas, tornados occur only in a number of places on earth. The majority of tornados form in the United States, especially in the area called Tornado Alley (including South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas). As a result of the high occurrence of tornados, people in those areas of the United States take certain precautions, such as building sturdier houses or building tornado shelters. I have personally never been in an area affected by a tornado, but the possibility of one occurring has always been there in southeastern Wisconsin, so I have been trained throughout my schooling how to react when a tornado is in the area. "Go to the basement of your dwelling and make sure you aren't in the area of any windows. As a last resort, lie face down in a ditch."
Of course the United States is not the only place where there are tornados, it is simply where most of them take place. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Globdisttornado.jpg). However, in Europe, there have only been 10 outbreaks of tornados since the year 2000, only 2 of which lasted more than a day. Bangladesh, though it experiences far fewer tornados than other areas of the world, has the highest death rate from the storms, a staggering 179 people per year, due to high population density and poor building construction.
Another meteorological phenomenon that not all individuals experience is snow. I personally cannot imagine a life without snow, but that is perhaps that it has always been the defining part of my winter season. Without it I could not, ski, snowboard, or build snowmen. Christmas would not have the same meaning to me. My significant other has personally never experienced snow, having grown up in Mexico City where it is too warm for snowfall. Attending a school in India, I have realized that she is not alone, and many of my peers have never frolicked in the snow. When I take a look around, I realize that the majority of India could not afford to have what I consider a "proper" winter season. If snow and freezing cold temperatures came to India, a huge part of the population that lives in shacks and bungalows would freeze to death. Due to the fact that most of India experiences only sunshine and rain, people have adjusted their living styles accordingly. They expect the monsoon, counting on it to nourish their crops. They expect the hot sun, and so they have a certain way to dress. They never expect snow, so they live in incomplete houses without walls. That is not to say that all of India is without cold weather. Having just come back from near the Himalayas in the province of Uttaranchal, I can assure you it gets cold in certain places in India.
The concept of snow brings up the issue of the systems we created to adjust to our weather systems. Growing up as a child in Wisconsin, I always had four, separate, picture perfect seasons. In spring, it would rain, and the flowers would being to bud. Summer brought sunshine, and continued into Autumn, when the leaves turned various shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Ultimately, the leaves fell from the trees, leaving them bare and protecting the ground from the snowfall that came in winter. Through travel I have learned that this is by no means the case in other countries of the world. Another system is that of meteorology. Technically, meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere. It has been created in modern society, however, into a sort of psychic activity. Although meteorologists claim to be able to predict the weather up to a week in the future, often their predictions of the path of current storms is incorrect. According to the meteorologists on the weather station back home, I should have seen at least a dozen tornados by now in my life, yet I have seen none. At times though, meteorology does assist, for example in the planning of trips. My family prepared me for delay coming home from India this past January because the weather report stated there would be hard snow that hit New Jersey, thereby causing delays at the airport. Sure enough, my flight was delayed, and my mother was able to properly rebook my flight.
Global warming is changing the climate of the world as we know it now, thereby changing the land and the people and animals that inhabit it. Storms are becoming more intense and the earth's waters are rising. Deserts will expand and form in new places as the ice of Antarctica melts away. According to Al Gore, if global warming is not put to a stop, this dramatic change in the earth will soon lead to its end. Ironically, the sources of energy that "green" individuals are promoting come from nature itself. Solar, wind, and wave power all come from natural sources, and could be the only keys to improving the environment and preserving the earth. Or maybe global warming is just a natural phenomenon as others claim. All that can be certain is that, now, the earth's climate is changing at an alarming rate and changing how humans must act to survive.
Bringing music yet again into my blog, I must admit that there are no two better songs to listen to while it rains than The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" and Radiohead's "Sit Down, Stand Up (Snakes & Ladders)". I was listening to the latter this monsoon season as a storm gradually moved towards where I was standing. As soon as the song reached the 3:03 mark, the raindrops began to fall from the sky. The feeling I got at this moment was indescribable, and I felt the weather take control of me. Give the song a listen yourself to see what I mean. Music about the weather, even when the weather around me doesn't correspond, can affect me more than any other. Try singing "I'm walking on sunshine" without smiling. Just try.
This coming winter holiday, I will first head home and then travel to Mexico. Going from having snow while at home to probably having none in an area where snow doesn't normally fall at that time of year will be something new for me. How it will affect me I have to wait and see, but I think as long as I get some true winter weeks while I'm in Wisconsin, I'll be happy. Hopefully, as global warming continues to change the climate, I can still experience snowfall in years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment