5.6 climate change

Question 1

6a) the impact of climate change on inputs

Answer 1

input change distribution:

precipitation will most significantly increase in places with a maritime climate, areas along the equator and polar regions: rainfall here is predicted to increase by as much as 50%.

WHY? current atmospheric circulation cells are going to expand poleward due to climate change. increases in low pressure also plays a role in this.

decrases of up to 30% precipitation are predicted to occur on the tropic of Capricorn and areas such as the Mediterranean.

evaporation rates are also increasing. warmer soils are evaporating water into the atmosphere at a faster rate than water is accumulating on the surface from precipitation

conclusion: drier areas will become more arid and wetter areas will become even wetter. the atmospheric circulation cell will also shift positions.

Question 2

the impact of climate change on outputs

Answer 2

outputs:
the projected pattern of soil moisture suggests decreases in soil moisture over most continents of the world— even in those regions (eg high boreal ewgios of N. America & Eurasia) which are predicted major increases in precipitation WHY?
evaporation rates are also increasing! warmer soils are evaporating water into the atmosphere at a faster rate than water is accumulating at the surface from precipitation.

Question 3

6c) uncertainty of the future

Answer 3

factors leading to diminishing water supply and increased uncertainty:

1. impact of oscillations eg ENSO is leading to increasingly unreliable unreliable patterns of rainfall eg less predictable monsoons: el nino and la nina will become more extreme
2. different regions of the world will warm at different rates
3. distribution of rainfall is projected to come in fewer but heavier events which strangely means that both flooding and droughts can become problamatic for the very same regions.