EXPLORING THE CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING
The Possible Consequences of Enhanced Warming
Geologists, using their understanding of the complex interactions of Earth processes, have developed a number of different theoretical models to predict how the Earth's environment will change in response to warming created by increases in atmospheric CO2. The changes predicted by most of these models include:
1. The climate patterns of the Earth will change in ways that will decrease our food supplies, for example, by creating droughts in places that are now agriculturally productive.
2. The the latest evidence suggests that hurricane numbers will decrease but the intensity of them will increase. Hurricanes are tropical storms that pose great risk to people and property in coastal areas, mainly due to storm surges, a rise in sea level (i.e., flooding) caused by the hurricane's strong winds and low atmospheric pressure.
3. Sea level will gradually rise as the world's glaciers melt (adding water to the oceans) and the seas warm (causing the volume of the water to expand). As the seas rise, coastal areas and low-lying islands will be flooded and become uninhabitable over time.
©David Seidemann and David Leveson - Brooklyn College - Earth and Environmental Sciences