Scientists investigate extreme weather of 2012

Last year saw extreme weather, scientists say, including Arctic ice melt, Australian rainfall and droughts in the United States. They conclude that climate change didn’t cause the events, but did make them worse, according to National Public Radio.

Full results of the study which brought the conclusion are published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. In it, scientists say that it’s easy to determine that the earth has warmed, but much harder to link that global warming with extreme weather.

The study reveals that human activity had a role in melting Arctic ice and heat in the U.S. in 2012. But the drought that accompanied warmer temperatures in the U.S., it notes, were due to natural fluctuations in weather patterns.

Image: Superstorm Sandy after making landfall on the U.S. East Coast (Credit: NASA)