Climate Change

Climate change is the change in the global climate. Specifically, climate change refers to the heating of the world in the late 20th and early 21st centuries due to rising levels of CO2 in the air. According to the EPA, the increase of CO2 is blamed largely on the increase of human industrialism. Though the temperature of the climate is rising, it is not the only effect of climate change, let's take a look at some of the future results of climate change.

Temperature

The rise in temperature is one of the largest and most commonly talked about effects of climate change. According to the EPA, in the past century the global temperatures have already risen about 1.4 degrees fahrenheit. It is projected by the University of Arizona that by 2100 the central part of the United States will have risen 8 degrees or more.

Why this sudden rise in temperature? Go to the Greenhouse Gas page to find out more!

Rising Sea Levels

One side effect of the increased temperature is a global rise in sea levels. As temperatures rise, glaciers, polar ice caps, and the ice sheets in Greenland and in Antarctica to melt. As the melted ice is added to the already existing ocean water the shoreline rise putting many ecosystems and cities near the shore at risk. According to National Geographic, sea levels are predicted to rise anywhere from 2.5 to 6.5 feet by 2100. The higher shorelines will result in destruction of many coastal cities including New York, Boston, much of Florida, and other coastal cities.

Increase in Storms

Not only will there be changes in precipitation levels, but it is expected that there will be more extreme storms. The increase in sea temperatures are predicted to amplify the power of the Atlantic hurricanes and make them more common. The EPA predicts that the wind speeds of hurricanes could increase by up to 8%. They also expect to see more winter storms that are stronger than ever before.

Extreme Drought

As mentioned in "Extreme Rainfall", many places will have much lower levels of rainfall than now. As part of the United States Geological Survey, they mapped out places that may experience more drought than others. It is predicted that many southern locations such as Texas and parts of Arizona will be affected with extreme drought while more northern areas like New England will remain unaffected.

Greenhouse Gases

Extreme Rainfall

Levels of precipitation are predicted to change in the near future. The EPA states that it is more difficult to predict the changes in rainfall, but it is predicted that the Northern states of the U.S. will have an increase of rainfall while many of the Southern states will see much less precipitation than usual. According to the University of Arizona many states in the North are predicted to get up to 10% more precipitation by 2100.

What exactly are greenhouse gases? And why are they changing our climate so rapidly? Click here to find out more!