Environment

Alternating between torrential rains and extreme droughts: according to climate predictions, these two weather forecasts will occur more frequently. They will also last longer and be more severe. All this because of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming.

Today, an observational study goes even further and reveals, for the first time, proof that this worrying phenomenon is already happening.

Researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) as well as the British Met Office show a systematic increase - on 75% of terrestrial regions - in the variability of precipitation since the beginning of the 20th century, reports Futura-Sciences. Europe will be particularly affected by the phenomenon, on global and regional scales but also daily and interseasonal. The cause? Climatologists point the finger at our greenhouse gas emissions, which have transformed the nature of the atmosphere, which now more humid and warm.

But what is precipitation variability?

According to researchers, it's the distribution of rainfall over time. Thus, high variability could lead to long periods of drought as well as precipitation equivalent to a year in just a few days. A phenomenon that greatly complicates the prediction of the consequences of global warming.

The lead author of the study, a man named Tianjun Zhou, sounds the alarm:

“The future we were worried about is in fact already here. These rapid and extreme changes pose problems for populations, but also problems of infrastructure resilience, economic development and the functioning of ecosystems and carbon sinks. Immediate adaptation measures are essential to meet these challenges.”

(MH with AsD - Source: Futura-sciences - Illustration: Pixabay)