Climate Change in Wisconsin

 I think the most noticeable change in weather pattern is the shorter winters, and the decrease in snowfall. I remember growing up as a kid getting snow days all the time and building huge forts in our backyard. Later, it seems that kids nowadays don't get snow days anymore, but cold days is now a thing. I also notice less and less snow on the ground. Even when we do get a heavy amount of snow, the very next week it'll have melted away. The main reason why these changes in weather is happening is the effects of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The increase in these greenhouse gases leads to an overall increase in temperature on Earth. This is due to the greenhouse effect where "energy from solar radiation is absorbed and re-radiated as infrared (heat) energy, greenhouse gasses absorb that infrared energy and re-emit it in the atmosphere, and this energy is transmitted both upward and downward, overall warming the surface of the Earth" (Lecture 4.1) . With warmer winter temperatures, Wisconsin will begin to see more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow.

The most interesting thing I've learned from this course is about the tension zone. I thought it was interesting that Wisconsin is composed of two major ecological regions and these two regions are very distinct in where they occur that you can draw a line on a map where you will begin to see the switch from one ecological system to the next. I also found it interesting that this zone is moving northward due to climate change. Sadly, as this continues this will have a large negative impact on many species, especially the herbaceous species being unable to keep up with the rapid climate change.