- Climate Change is believed by scientists, that have been working in that area for years, to be producing or contributing to the severity of effects such as:

• Winds and tornadoes/hurricanes becoming stronger;
• Glacier Melting/declining snow cover;
• Rising river flows and sea levels;
• Decrease in water levels in ponds, lakes and other water bodies;
• Increasing precipitation;
• Timing of lake and river freeze-up/break-up; and
• In permafrost regions, thawing of permafrost.

Strong Winds and Tornadoes/Hurricanes:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists, through their report released on February 2, 2007, said temperatures were probably going to increase by 1.8-4C (3.2-7.2F) by the end of the century. Global temperatures have been on the increase since 1750, following the industrial revolution of the developed world, fueling the suspicion that the earth warming is not unrelated to human activities. Temperature increases cause earth warming and are believed to contribute to some of the strong winds and tornadoes we have witnessed in recent times.

Glacier Melting/declining snow cover:

With increase temperature, the arctic and semi-arctic regions are gradually loosing their glacier and snow covers. Several locations on the Earth previously covered with snow decades ago are loosing their snow cover to green grasses.

Glacier melting has significant effect on the human and animal lives. It has been stated that over 1.5 million of the world population (mostly in South America, China and India) depend on glacier runoff for drinking water supply. As glaciers turn into lakes and flowing rivers, the regions that have depended on glacier runoff for drinking water source will be greatly impacted with water shortage. Dwindling snow cover also threatens survival of Arctic animals such as polar bear.

Rising river flow and sea levels:

With the melting of glacier and snow cover comes the rising of river flow and sea levels. The IPCC report projected that sea levels were most likely to rise by 28-43cm, and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of tropical storms.

Rising river flow and water levels has implications for the quality and quantity of water available for drinking and other purposes. More flooding and flooding epidemics are expected with increased water levels. Increased volumes of storm water and sewage runoff are anticipated and could impact existing waste water treatment facilities in most cities of the World.

Flood Disasters of the magnitude of Tsunami are likely to be on the increase as the river flow and water levels increase.

Decrease in water levels in ponds, lakes and other water bodies:

In temperate climates, water storage capabilities will be affected by rising temperature. Waters stored in Lakes, Dams and other storage media will be lost to global warming reducing drinking water supplies to those regions, impacting negatively on drinking water supply and water supplies for agricultural and other industrial activities.

Increasing precipitation:

With global warming comes high moisture evaporation and resulting increased precipitation (i.e. rainfall) in temperate regions. This is capable of causing flood disasters and related problems. It has been reported that there has been a 5-10% increase in precipitation over the past century with consequent cases of flooding causing damages of hundreds of billions of dollars in the past decade, that’s three to six times the amount of damage caused by floods in previous decades.

Timing of lake and river freeze-up/break-up:

In the arctic regions of the World, the timing of the lake and river freeze-up and break-up is extremely crucial for basically all activities. Construction activities, transportation activities, recreation activities and so on are planned based on the freeze-up/break-up timing. More uncertainties about this timing are expected with global warming. Huge industrial establishments such as multi-million dollar mining operations in the arctic receive their annual supplies only during winter times using the winter roads. Global warming reduces the length of the period of the year ice roads can remain frozen and passable. This consequently affects operations in those mines except alternative means of transportation is arranged.

Thawing of Permafrost

Permafrost is soil or rock that remains at or below 0°C or 32°F for two or more years. Most permafrost is located in high latitudes (e.g. North and South poles). The upper part of the permafrost is called the Active Layer because it seasonally thaws during the summer months and freezes during the winter months.

In regions with permafrost, the only concern with building structures on permafrost used to be permafrost melting under the weight of the building. The heat melts the permafrost, increases the depth of the active layer and may cause the structure on top of the permafrost to sink. Several solutions have been devised for this problem. They include: building on piles (wood or steel types) driven down into the permafrost, using thick gravel pads or using anhydrous ammonia heat pipes. The threat of global warming introduces a different and more challenging concern.

In areas where permafrost is thinner and ground temperatures are warmer than –20C, there is the potential for significant loss of permafrost over the long term while in areas of thicker permafrost where ground temperatures are at or below –50C, global warming will cause a thicker active layer and a gradual overall thinning of permafrost. As permafrost warms, groundwater storage capacity will increase. Increased water in the active layer may result in other impacts such as increased frost heave. Other effects are icing activity particularly during spring break-up, impact on surface water quality, fish and aquatic life, due to increased dissolved solids from the interaction between shallow groundwater and surface water.

Other Sources of Information:

• Causes of Climate change - Edugreen
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).