A study published on Friday has revealed that the rise in home runs in Major League Baseball can be partially attributed to climate change.
Researchers from Dartmouth College noted in a peer-reviewed report that was published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society that they can link at least 500 more home runs from 2010 to 2019 to the Earth’s warming caused by human activity.
According to the publication, the research was based on the straightforward assumption that air density is inversely related to temperature and therefore, all else being equal, warmer air is less dense and a hit ball will travel farther.
Read Also: Niger Delta communities urge stakeholders to join forces against incessant pollution
“When you have warmer temperatures you have lower air density, and when you have lower air density you have less drag on a flying object, whether that’s a baseball or an aeroplane,” said Justin Mankin, an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth and senior author of the study published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. “On a warm day as opposed to a cool day, you should expect more home runs.”
Without including Covid-shortened 2020, the number of home runs has fluctuated every year from 4,186 in 2014 to 6,776 in 2019 from 1998, the first season of the 30-team MLB.
According to researchers, there will be 192 more long balls annually by 2050 and 467 more per season by 2100 if current climate trends continue.
Story was adapted from The Guardian
