(In an article authored by NASA’s Earth Science News Team, I was struck by the conclusion of Ben Cook, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University. “Climate change is not just a future problem,” he said. “It’s already affecting global patterns of drought, hydro climate, trends, variability. And we expect those trends to continue, as long as we keep warming the world.”)
As Samuel Coleridge wrote in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water, water everywhere, but nor any drop to drink.”
Of course, that ancient mariner had as his vantage point only the ship’s crow’s nest. Today, we look down from a much higher perch, thanks to NASA satellites as they scan not only the seas, but clouds, rain and snow. Because of climate change earth’s distribution of potable water is changing. This is most evident in the extremes and frequencies of floods and droughts.
We need to know these conditions because they affect our soils. Here’s an interesting statistic: in the period between 1958 and 2016, heavy rainstorms increased in our northeastern states by 55%, midwestern states by 42%, and by 27% in southeastern states. Out west, the increases haven’t been as dramatic, the soil there isn’t as absorbing and run offs can overwhelm local watersheds. These changing water patterns must be considered when we look at the infrastructure in place and evaluate what needs to be replaced, relocated, strengthened, or razed.
But there’s a flip side to changing climate. As some areas get wetter, others get drier
presenting a totally different set of problems. Studies show that as far back as the early 1900s greenhouse gas emissions were indicating a pattern predicting parts of Asia are going to get wetter while the southwestern United States, Central America and Europe will become drier. Those studies confirm that humans influenced past drought patterns and are sure to influence future ones.
While the science of global warming is far from settled as to how much humans are contributing to the problem, and what solutions must be employed, we cannot escape the simple conclusion the weather is changing. But then, the weather has always been changing. We notice it from day to day, season to season, and year to year, which are infinitesimal glimpses of the distant past. But the farther back in time we search, the less we really know about the future.
All we can do is make our best guesses from what the data shows. Fingers crossed.
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