Soon, climate change will bring a regionally rough shifting of the tropical belt, threatening food security for billions of people.Â
New research discusses how the affected rain belt will move north in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere and south in some Western Hemisphere regions. But that’s not all.
Here is what you need to know.
Climate Change: Future Negative Effects
According to a team of data science experts, environmental engineers, and Earth system scientists, a northward change of the tropical belt over the Indian Ocean and eastern Africa will bring future increases in aridity in Madagascar and Africa.
And all that, in addition to the aggravated flooding in southern India.
The team’s work
The team analyzed computer simulations from up to 27 state-of-the-art climate patterns and calculated the tropical rain belt’s reaction to a future event in which greenhouse gas emissions proceed to increase by the end of the century. What they found is concerning.
Lead author, Antonios Mamalakis, released a statement discussing the team’s work and findings. He stated:
“[…] climate change will cause the position of Earth’s tropical rain belt to move in opposite directions in two longitudinal sectors that cover almost two-thirds of the globe.”
Other Significant Details: What to Expect
The team included other regions as well. The deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and the weakening of the Gulf Stream current, for example, might not have the opposite effect.
Such a thing means that it could cause a southward turn in the tropical rain belt over the Western Hemisphere.
The new research brings awareness about the future of climate change. It combines data analytics and climate science with the engineering approach of system thinking for a significant matter.
It aims to unveil detailed and previously undetected global warming signs on regional precipitation dynamics and extremes.Â
The team needs now to transpose those changes to influences on the ground, in terms of droughts, flooding, and other possible changes to the ecosystem. More insights should be soon available.