One of the earliest effects of climate change could be felt in southwestern Unites States, which could lead to permanent conditions of drought similar to the Dust Bowl condition that occurred during the 1930s, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
The study, led by Richard Seager of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said that drought-like conditions would begin to surface by as early as 2030. Seager said that while the 30s drought lasted for a period of eight years; the drought caused by global warming could last for a longer period.
"The 30s and 50s droughts lasted at most eight or nine years. We're talking about something here that is a drier overall climate. Once it's established, you're not going to be expecting precipitation to be turning back to levels we are familiar with in the later part of the 20th century", he added.
The conclusion of the report was reached by 16 of the 19 computer models assembled as a part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change study. The report adds that while some of the regions will be facing drought, the areas outside the dry-belt would receive excessive rains than normal.
Says Yochanan Kushnir, who worked with Seager on the report, "It's a situation of the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer when it comes to rainfall. From a climate perspective, these changes are quite dramatic", adding that the conditions will be triggered by rising levels of greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels and other human activities.
Regions such as Tucson, Arizona are already facing shortage of water supply and are currently tapping fresh water resources that were left by the last ice age which occurred some 20,000 years ago. The region is already experiencing below-average rainfall since 1999.
