Potential impacts of warmer and wetter summers in the near future

By Brett Anderson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

3/01/2018, 10:34:15 AM

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As global temperatures continue to trend upward in response to climate change, the resulting increases in summer precipitation in certain regions across the globe may cause unexpected disruptions to ecosystems and society, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.

Warmer, wetter summers could produce unexpected impacts, such as disease outbreaks and crop failures, because they break the climatic norms that ecosystems and human communities are adapted to.

The research team analyzed weather observations going back to 1901 and global climate model projections through the end of this century.

Regions such as the southeastern U.S., central Canada, northern Australia, South Africa, central Asia and the African Sehal may be the most prone to these warmer and wetter extremes going forward.

“We’re just getting into the time period where we expect to see this effect," said UBC forestry PhD candidate Colin Mahony, who was the lead author of this study.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

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