Brisbane, Queensland Austrailia was flooded
 
 
 It is hard to feel seasonable temperatures nowadays. The last year was historically the warmest year according to observations about average temperatures of Earth during the last 131 years.
The hottest 10 years were the period from 2001 to 2010. As a result of this abnormal climate, countries like China or India, which are located in the middle latitude of the northern hemisphere, suffered from a cold snap and heavy snow, whereas Brazil and Sri Lanka suffered economic damage by floods and heavy rain.

 A huge flood damaged Australia equalling 6.17 trillion won, and their government temporarily collected a flood tax. The crops suffered major damages because of the cyclone 'Yasi' in Queensland, Australia. Har-jin Bahk, a resident of New South Wales, Australia, mentioned on Twitter, "In 2010, there was a torrential rain. And a rain of a huge amount has submerged Queensland. In those days, I thought that nature was intending to submerge us."

 Korea also suffered damage due to abnormal weather. Approximately 12,000 water gauges froze and burst in Seoul. In addition, many people were late for school and workplaces because the engines of their cars were frozen, and people froze to death due to the coldest snap in 96 years in Busan. Jo Yeo-ji, a resident of Shindorim, Seoul, said, "I spent more than 0.1 million won more for the heating bills compared to last year. I almost fell down when I was walking on frozen streets this winter."

 A study has found that the temperature of the Earth's surface can rise around 5-6 degrees Celsius due to the problems such as greenhouse gases. This cold wave is also a looming phenomenon of global warming. For this situation, Kim Ji-su, a professor of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in CBNU, explained that the natural phenomena are closely related to climate and disasters associated with the climate change all around the world. He added that this cold snap and heavy rain were considered to be related to the global warming problem. He interpreted this unusual weather phenomena about heavy rain or heavy snow as a consequence of increased water vapor due to the melted Arctic ice.

 On the other hand, Byun Hee-lyong, a president of the Korean Meteorological Society, said, "The cold of this winter is a typical cold winter. The cause of the abnormal climate is not related to global warming or the Arctic oscillation that many people pointed out." He added that there was no theory defining the cause of the abnormal climate yet.

 Many countries have been experiencing difficulties due to an abnormal change of the weather. In the case of Korea, the intensity and frequency of abnormal weather is increasing. Therefore, food prices and diseases also rose sharply. All countries around the world, including Korea, should find the exact cause as soon as possible to avoid any more damage.

By Ko A-jin

aj31@cbnu.ac.kr