Heat waves in the middle lane will be 10 times more frequent by 2100
[ad_1]
Heat waves, when the air temperature rises above +39.6°C, will occur in the middle latitudes by the end of the century three to ten times more often than now. The reason for this is the acceleration of climate change caused by human activity. This conclusion was made in a study by scientists from Harvard University and the University of Washington, published in magazine Communications Earth & Environment.
In their forecasts, scientists proceeded from the assumption that global temperatures will rise by 2 ° C by 2050, and made calculations for areas located in the middle latitudes and tropics. Now periods of abnormal heat in the middle latitudes are not a very frequent phenomenon. However, according to scientists, by 2050 the number of days with abnormal heat there will double, and countries located in those latitudes will suffer from this every year. Among them are the USA, China, Japan, the states of Western Europe. Scientists analyzed as a separate example the situation with abnormal heat in Chicago possible by 2100. Calculations showed that by the end of the century, periods of abnormal heat in this city will be 16 times more frequent than now.
At the same time, in countries located in the tropics, the problem will be even more acute: the number of days with an extremely dangerous level of heat – when the air temperature reaches +51 ° C – can double, and a dangerous level of heat will be maintained for most of the days of the year. And then, according to scientists, the question of human survival in such conditions will generally arise. “In many areas close to the equator, it will be almost impossible to work outdoors in 2100,” the scientists predict, noting that the upward trend in temperatures will be true even if harmful emissions are limited. The authors of the study recommend looking now for ways to help people adapt to changing heat levels in order to prevent a possible sharp increase in the number of diseases, especially among the elderly and low-income.
[ad_2]
Source link
