Download Climate Change Floods and Droughts

Climate Change
Floods and Droughts
Alyssa Corrigan
Climate Change…
Climate change is when the climate is altered over
time for a long time as a result of human or natural
influences. There are many examples of effects of climate
change such as a rise in sea level during the past century
from four to eight inches, an increase in precipitation by
approximately one percent, changes in the ecosystem
altering the amount of snow in the north, a rise from five to
ten percent in rainfall, and summers becoming increasingly
dry while ice in the Artic Ocean decreases. Climate change
can bring positive changes, such as its effect on extending
the growing season in areas with short seasons, but when
change comes quickly, living systems don’t have time to
adapt.
Global Warming…
Global warming is the increase of the Earth’s surface
median temperature over time. Since late in the 19th century the
average global surface temperature has gone up .5F and during
the 20th century, surface temperatures grew by about 1F.
Predictions for the next 100 years are for a 2.7-8
degree F increase, depending on how much fossil
fuels are burned and forest systems are removed.
An increase in greenhouse gasses is the cause of global
warming. Some effects include: an increase in sea level,
difficulties in agriculture, change in rainfall, and changes in the
ecosystem which will cause animals and plants to have to adapt
or perish.
Global Temperatures
Graph
The Effect on Floods
Higher surface temperatures and changes in precipitation cause
floods in some places, and droughts in others. floods.
A rise in sea level (explained on next slide) and severe rain are
two causes of floods.
Long term changes in the hydrological cycle (the flow of water
throughout Earth) due to higher temperatures (more
evaporation; melting of ice, more intense rain fall) contribute to
more floods.
More water vapor in the atmosphere, because the atmosphere
is heating up, can cause floods to happen more regularly.
Floods Continued
Sea level rising will
also contribute to more
floods. The sea level is
predicted to go up from
four inches to three
feet. Sea level rises
when the water warms
and increases in
amount, or when
glaciers and ice melt.
As the glaciers and ice
turn into water the sea
level increases and
floods could start to
last for a longer
amount of time and
happen more
frequently.
The Hydrological Cycle
Examples and Predictions
of Flooding
There are predictions that as a result of climate change
there will be a large increase in famine by 2050 of 30 million
people going hungry because of less crops caused by flooding.
One country that suffers from flooding because of climate
change is Bangladesh. They experienced major flooding in
1998 in which two thirds of the country was underwater.
There are predictions for this to become worse with more
constant flooding and more of the country underwater by
2100 if it continues the same way. Many coastal cities would
be affected, including Manhattan, San Francisco, New
Orleans, and Miami, and cities around the world including
highly populated ones like Shanghai.
The Effect on Droughts
There will also be more droughts as a result of global
warming and climate change. The period of time during which
droughts last will also be increased. The changing in the hydrologic
cycle cause changes in precipitation. Some places get wetter, other
drier. When there is a build up of water vapor in the atmosphere
because the atmosphere is heating up, or very sudden changes in
climate, droughts happen more regularly.
Precipitation Graph
This graph shows that heavy times of
precipitation have been rising steadily over
time but not frequent precipitation.
Examples and Predictions
of Droughts
Droughts, like floods, could also cause famine because
they ruin crops. An example of droughts as a result of climate
change are the droughts in Africa. For example at the base of
Mount Kilimanjaro there is becoming a very limited water supply.
Africa is also very sensitive to any temperature change, which
causes droughts to come more easily. In February and March,
2005, there were droughts in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi,
Zambia, and Namibia. The droughts lasted for about four to eight
weeks.
Map of Droughts
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