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Drought warning as the tropics expand; this could be the ‘new normal’

Posted by: Maven on February 2, 2009 at 7:49 am

From the New Scientist:

California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, warned on Thursday that his state “is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history”.

Now new research suggests that the three-year drought in the Golden State may be a consequence of the expanding tropics, which are gradually growing as human emissions of greenhouse gases warm the planet.

Climate scientists have documented a slow progression of low-latitude weather systems towards the poles, and this has been matched by rising temperatures in many temperate regions. Deciding whether this broadening of the tropical belt is linked to the greenhouse effect has been difficult, however.

So what’s the big deal if the sub-tropics are expanding?

Reichler says that the expansion of the subtropics is more feared than the widening of the tropical zone itself. While the tropical belt is hot and humid, the subtropics suffer from severe drought. The Sahara and Sahel are both subtropical regions.

The climate models quoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeSpeaker predict that the Mediterranean region and the south-west of the US are heading towards devastating droughts. Reichler says this latest study suggests this is a result of the poleward march of the tropics.

Read more from New Scientist by clicking here.

I must mention that Aquafornia reader Wes Rolley of the California Greening blog has long been saying that these conditions are going to be ‘the new normal’…

And so has Water Wired’s Michael Campana, (although his blog does not feature a search function so I can’t find a post), and Peter Gleick, too….

The Water Environment Federation addresses what this means to infrastructure planning in this post, “The Future Ain’t What It Used to be: Climate Change Considerations for Your Utility’s Infrastructure Planning”

February 2, 2009 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack, Oceans & Beaches

Comments

One Response to “Drought warning as the tropics expand; this could be the ‘new normal’”

  1. Wes on February 2nd, 2009 8:53 am

    Since most of us get our news from TV, I have to say that the local stations are failing the public in the coverage of this issue. They have defined the story as being about water rationing in a time of drought. So, that is all that they cover… after all, it is the aspect of the story that will affect most viewers right now (Town of Bolenas went on water rationing… others to follow) on in the near future.

    So, they interview someone from the water district who tells the story of the water district taking extraordinary measures in difficult times. But no one asks how we will deal with the new realities of living in a world where the climate has changed.

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