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Alternating between torrential rains and extreme droughts: these two weather events will occur, according to climate models, more frequently. They will also last longer and be more severe. All this because of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming.
Now, an observational study goes even further and reveals, for the first time, evidence that this disturbing 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 – over 75% of terrestrial regions – in the variability of precipitation since the beginning of the 20th century, reports the media Futura-Sciences . Europe would 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, now more humid and warm.
But what is precipitation variability?
According to the researchers, this is 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 study’s lead author, a man named Tianjun Zhou, sounds the alarm:
“The future we were worried about is actually already here. These rapid and extreme changes pose challenges for people, but also for infrastructure resilience, economic development, and the functioning of ecosystems and carbon sinks. Immediate adaptation measures are essential to address these challenges.”
