A decrease in rainfall means there is less water in aquifers and the water table. This means the supply of water has decreased. A warmer climate also means more water evaporates from seas and oceans. This can be bad as it can increase the number of floods which destroys infrastructure. Another factor that can affect water supply is urban development and over extraction.
The inability of rain will led to increase heat and that may lead to have dryer soils and that would have a big impact in our agriculture. Productivity will decline. Even though if that happens irrigation to fill water needs could be a way to help the need of rain. The soil of Indiana is a major natural resource that temperature changes will affect, hotter drier summers, would be the main cause of loss soil organic matter and will result an increased soil respiration. Loss of soil will decrease the ability to retain moisture and specially essential nutrients for plant growth.
The differences in urban climates are due to several reasons. Urban heat island affect is known to heat urban areas, urban areas are generally much hotter than surrounding rural areas. As you move from city centres into nearby rural areas the temperature is known to drop by up to 10 degrees. Around half of the world’s population live in urban areas but this rate is expected to increase to 70% by 2030. Negative affects relating to urbanisation is becoming increasingly concerning especially as there is an increased number of people who are moving out of the rural area into the urban/suburban areas.
The droughts and increased heat has had negative impacts on local aquatic invertebrates. Aquatic invertebrates are adapted to survive in a particular range of temperature and habitat. But global warming makes it harder to survive. This could lead to the extinction of several species of aquatic invertebrates which in turn would lead to serious consequences of the ecosystem. Many of the aquatic invertebrates are responsible for keeping the ecosystem clean by feeding on litters.
Theses surfaces have a higher thermal capacity than natural surfaces and are able to absorb large quantities of heat during the day and slowly release it during the night. This is the main contributor in the temperature difference between rural and urban areas. Given that most of the city is covered in these building material s there is bound to be a change in climatic characteristics. However there are other factors such as central heating, traffic fumes, factories, power station and the people
The oceans salt water would mix with freshwater and CO2 would get absorbed into the oceans causing disabling effects on our waters food chain. There may be oxygen poor zones in the ocean, coral extinction, and a decline in photoplankton (Skeptical Science, 2012). Our natural water springs may fail causing people in different areas of the globe to live without drinking water. There could be more wildfires, droughts that cause a loss of vegetation, and heat deaths or floods and storms (Enzler, 2007). The migration pattern of birds and other animals will change, there will be a disruption in our foodchain on land, and the possibility of loosing some species.
Another risk factor is the “heat island effect”. When you are in an urban area during a heat wave combined with poor air quality, inactive atmospheric conditions, and the heat stored in concrete released at night you experience this effect. Being less than four years old or over the age of sixty-five increases are risks. Medical implications that increase the risk of heat exhaustion are heart, lung, and kidney disease, obesity, underweight, high blood pressure, diabetes, mental illness, sickle cell trait, alcoholism, sunburn, any conditions that cause fever, and diabetes. Medications that increase your risk are diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, some heart and blood pressure medications, and medications for psychiatric conditions.
Another physical factor is whether the country has space which stores extra water such as aquifer, as this can be something for a country to use if the main water supply does potentially run out. For example Mexico has a low amount of water stress due to having a large aquifer underground, where as Saudi Arabia has a high water stress level because it has no alternative water supply. Climate change is large physical factor which contributes to the pattern of water stress as it can cause climates to become extreme. For example, in Indonesia climate change has increased the amount of
Assess the relative importance of physical and human causes of river flooding (15) Floods can be caused by certain human activities such as urbanisation. The build up of impermeable surfaces like concrete pavements and buildings means that when there is high levels of precipitation, infiltration is not possible and rainwater flows straight to the river channel as surface runoff, increasing river discharge and potentially causing a river to flood. Also, deforestation is another human cause of flooding; deforestation reduces interception and evapotranspiration. This means more water reaches the river, increasing discharge. However, physical causes can also have large impacts and can be the main cause of a flood.
A relative humidity of 60% or more hampers sweat evaporation, which hinders your body's ability to cool itself. If you live in an urban area, you may be especially prone to develop heat stroke during a prolonged heat wave, particularly if there are stagnant atmospheric conditions and poor air quality. In what is known as the "heat island effect," asphalt and concrete store heat during the day and only gradually release it at night, resulting in higher night time temperatures. Those most susceptible (at risk) individuals to heat strokes include: a) infants and children up to age 4 b) the elderly (often with associated heart diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, or who are taking medications that make them vulnerable to dehydration and heat strokes), c) athletes d) individuals who work outside and physically exert themselves under the sun