Global warming might threaten water supply
<p><span word="Global">Global</span> <span word="warming">warming</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="next">next</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="significantly">significantly</span> <span word="reduce">reduce</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="amount">amount</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="winter">winter</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="mountainous">mountainous</span> <span word="areas">areas</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="northern">northern</span> <span word="hemisphere">hemisphere</span>, <span word="according">according</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="published">published</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Nature">Nature</span> <span word="Climate">Climate</span> <span word="Change">Change</span>.</p><p><span word="Seasonal">Seasonal</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span> <span word="melt">melt</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="essential">essential</span> <span word="source">source</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="fresh">fresh</span> <span word="water">water</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="loss">loss</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="threaten">threaten</span> <span word="drinking">drinking</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="supplies">supplies</span>, <span word="agricultural">agricultural</span> <span word="irrigation">irrigation</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wildlife">wildlife</span> <span word="ecosystems">ecosystems</span>.</p><p><span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="University">University</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="expert">expert</span> <span word="Noah">Noah</span> <span word="Diffenbaugh">Diffenbaugh</span> <span word="led">led</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="study">study</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="compares">compares</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span> <span word="conditions">conditions</span> <span word="across">across</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="northern">northern</span> <span word="hemisphere">hemisphere</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="late">late</span> 20<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="model">model</span> <span word="projections">projections</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="next">next</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="hundred">hundred</span> <span word="years">years</span>.</p><p><span word="Deceasing">Deceasing</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span></p><p><span word="Those">Those</span> <span word="projections">projections</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="based">based</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="range">range</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="scenarios">scenarios</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="foresee">foresee</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rise">rise</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="temperatures">temperatures</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="degrees">degrees</span> <span word="Celsius">Celsius</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="concludes">concludes</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="snow">snow</span> <span word="accumulation">accumulation</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="decrease">decrease</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="regions">regions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Western">Western</span> <span word="United">United</span> <span word="States">States</span>, <span word="Europe">Europe</span>, <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Asia">Asia</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Himalayas">Himalayas</span>, <span word="compared">compared</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="historical">historical</span> <span word="patterns">patterns</span>.</p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="projects">projects</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="low">low</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="extremely">extremely</span> <span word="low">low</span> <span word="snow">snow</span> <span word="falls">falls</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="exceed">exceed</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="lows">lows</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="later">later</span> 20<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="between">between</span> 10 <span word="and">and</span> 30 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="degrees">degrees</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="warming">warming</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span>, <span word="Diffenbaugh">Diffenbaugh</span> <span word="says">says</span>, "<span word="If">If</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="planet">planet</span> <span word="warms">warms</span> <span word="by">by</span> 4 <span word="degrees">degrees</span> <span word="Celsius">Celsius</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="United">United</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="experience">experience</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span> <span word="accumulations">accumulations</span> <span word="below">below</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="levels">levels</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="late">late</span> 20<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="to">to</span> 80 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="years">years</span>.”</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="story">story</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="northern">northern</span> <span word="hemisphere">hemisphere</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="snowpack">snowpack</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="natural">natural</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="critical">critical</span>, <span word="water">water</span> <span word="reservoir">reservoir</span>.</p>
页:
[1]