Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
warming will probably lead to changes in the magnitude and frequency of ENSO
events in ways that remain uncertain. Those areas now most vulnerable to interannual
climatic variability will continue to be the arid and semi-arid areas, but the seasonally
wet tropics and the dry subhumid regions that now receive 750-1,500 mm of rain a
year will become increasingly sensitive to future changes in temperature, evaporation
and precipitation. Biomass burning in the seasonally wet tropics of the Asia-Pacific
region is severe during dry years and has the potential to change regional climate.
There are some signs that the increase in carbon particles in the lower atmosphere
arising from biomass burning and the use of fossil fuels is leading to increasing
desiccation of northern China and increasing flooding in the south (Menon et al.,
2002
).
Volcanic eruptions can lead to short-term cooling and more prolonged drought,
while changes in albedo caused by overgrazing can have a local effect on climate but
are unlikely to be the main cause of regional droughts.
