Major League Home Run Rise Linked to Climate Change: Study

Of course, it would never occur to us that changing of the climate may affect the amount home runs registered within one season; however, research suggests that this phenomenon contributes to the emergence of more games of this type..

A new study from Dartmouth College suggests that baseball may be on the cusp of an era of “climate baseball.” in which warmer temperatures due to global warming increasingly determine the outcome of the game and the presence of home runs in games.

According to a report published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, More than 500 home runs since 2010 can be attributed to above-average temperatures. as a consequence of climate change, and several hundred more such performances per season will take place with the coming warming.

Although researchers attribute only 1% of recent home runs to climate change, they found that By 2100, rising temperatures could cause 10% or more home runs. unless greenhouse gas emissions and climate change abate.

“There is a very clear physical mechanism in which higher temperatures reduce air density. Baseball is a ballistic game and a batted ball on a warm day will fly farthersaid lead author Justin Mankin, assistant professor of geography.

Studying

To come to these conclusions, The researchers analyzed over 100,000 major league games and 220,000 individual hits. correlate the number of home runs with the occurrence of unusually high temperatures. They then calculated the extent to which lower air density as a result of higher temperatures was the driving force behind the number of home runs on a given day compared to other games.

researchers they also took into account factors such as the use of performance-enhancing drugs, the production of bats and balls, and the introduction of cameras.serve analytics and other technologies aimed at optimizing the strength and distance of attackers.

Also studied every one of the major league baseball stadiums in the United States to estimate how the average number of home runs per year can increase for every 1 degree Celsius rise in global average temperature. Actual number of races per season may be higher due to temperature or less depending on the conditions of each game.

“We don’t think temperature is the dominant factor in the increase in home runs: hitters are now ready to hit balls at the optimum speed and at the optimum angle,” said Christopher Callahan, lead author of the study and Ph.D. in geography at Dartmouth. College. “That said, temperature matters, and we have determined its influence. Although climate change has had little impact so far, this impact will increase.significantly by the end of the century if we continue to emit greenhouse gases and raise temperatures,” he added.

According to the researchers, nighttime matches will reduce the effect of temperature and air density over the distance traveled by the ball.