Posts Tagged ‘ droughts

Oceans Becoming Acidic Ten Times Faster than Thought Before.

The world's oceans are turning acidic due to the buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, and scientists say the effects on marine life will be catastrophic.

“Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may make Earth's oceans more acidic faster than previously thought—unbalancing ecosystems in the process. New study says: Helen Scales for National Geographic News” For tens of millions of years, Earth's oceans have maintained a relatively stable acidity level. It's within this steady environment that the rich and varied web of life in today's seas has arisen and flourished. But research shows that this ancient balance is being undone by a recent and rapid drop in surface pH that could have devastating global consequences. Read more [...]

Droughts and Climate Change.

Until recently, many scientists spoke of climate change mainly as a “threat,” sometime in the future. But it is increasingly clear that we already live in the era of human-induced climate change, with a growing frequency of weather and climate extremes like heat waves, droughts, floods and fires. Today we will try to explain what’s going on with the fact that we experience very little or no rain at all; in certain places in the world such as Russia, the USA, Europe some part of Africa and in Asia. Future precipitation trends, based on climate model projections for the coming fifth assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, indicate that droughts of this length and severity will be commonplace through the end of the century unless human-induced carbon emissions are significantly reduced. Read more [...]

Humans change the world! What drought are you talking about?

Humans change the world! What drought are you talking about? A drought is a period of unusually persistent dry weather that persists long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and or water supply shortages. The severity depends upon the degree of moisture deficiency, the duration, and the size of the affected area. The major effects of climate change on water systems take place through changes in the hydrological cycle, basically the balance between temperature, and rainfall. Whilst some regions may have higher rainfalls this can evaporate through sustained increases in temperature... Read more [...]