Study Shows Climate Warming to Shrink Key Water Supplies around the World

[SoCalDem]

Scripps-led Study Shows Climate Warming to Shrink Key Water Supplies around the World
For Release: November 16, 2005
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=703


Water from glaciers and snow storage reserves to dwindle in the decades ahead, affecting millions


In the looming future, global warming will reduce glaciers and storage packs of snow in regions around the world, causing water shortages and other problems that will impact millions of people. That is the conclusion of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington in a review paper published in the November 17 issue of the journal Nature..

In analyzing several scenarios, Scripps Institution's Tim Barnett, and Jennifer Adam and Dennis Lettenmaier of the University of Washington, show that human-produced greenhouse gases, and the resulting warmer climates they produce, will have a significant influence on ice- and snow-dependent regions and will result in costly disruptions to water supply and resource management systems.

In fact, the authors argue that their predictions and observations "portend important issues for the water resources of a substantial fraction of the world's population."

The analysis first describes how water resource levels will change under global warming's influence and then depicts impacts on regions in the western United States, Europe, Canada, Asia and South America.

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Changes in the Qori Kalis Glacier, Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru, are shown between 1978 (top) and 2002. The glacier retreat during this time was 1,100 meters.

Photo credit: Professor L. Thompson

[hatrack]

1. Read "Thin Ice" - I just bought it last week

It's all about Lonnie Thompson and the Ohio State team's work on tropical glaciers around the world. Fantastic, fascinating stuff.

[bananas]

2. No problem - just get one of these

Dehumidifier + water purifier
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000800035669/

[achtung_circus]

3. Lick, so I can find this later. nt

[SoCalDem]

4. Lick?? This ain't no sex thread..watch it !

:evilgrin:

[achtung_circus]

5. My Freudian slip is showing

I'm ssoooo ashamed.

I worry for Canada and our water.