General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsClimate Change Has Intensified The Global Water Cycle
Climate Central | April 26, 2012 12:01 p.m.
Climate scientists have been saying for years that one of the many downsides of a warming planet is that both droughts and torrential rains are both likely to get worse. Thats what climate models predict, and thats what observers have noted, most recently in the IPCCs report on extreme weather, released last month. It makes physical sense, too. A warmer atmosphere can absorb more water vapor, and what goes up must come down and thanks to prevailing winds, it wont come down in the same place.
The idea of changes to the so-called hydrologic cycle, in short, hangs together pretty well. According to a new paper just published in Science, however, the picture is flawed in one important and disturbing way. Based on measurements gathered around the world from 1950-2000, a team of researchers from Australia and the U.S. has concluded that the hydrologic cycle is indeed changing. Wet areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier. But its happening about twice as fast as anyone thought, and that could mean big trouble for places like Australia, which has already been experiencing crushing drought in recent years.
http://news.opb.org/article/climate_change_has_intensified_the_global_water_cycle/
Poll Question: How long before human migrations start due to water shortages caused by climate change?
1 vote, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
5-10 years | |
1 (100%) |
|
10-20 years | |
0 (0%) |
|
20-40 years | |
0 (0%) |
|
0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
Show usernames
Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll |
phantom power
(25,966 posts)4th law of robotics
(6,801 posts)people have *always* migrated due to environmental changes.