Impact of climate change

• Global warming


  Increased evaporation, therefore amount of water vapour in atmosphere
• More water vapour (GHG)

  Raises temperature, increasing evaporation
• Increased precipitation


  Results in high runoff, greater flood risk
• More energy in atmosphere

  Releases latent heat on water vapour condensation
• More energy in atmosphere

  Extreme weather events such as hurricanes become more powerful and more frequent
• Global warming


  Accelerated melting of glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, increasing storage of water in oceans and atmosphere
• Higher temperature


  Increases decomposition, accelerates transfer of carbon from biosphere to atmosphere
• Forests replaced by grasslands


  Amount of stored tropical biomass will diminish
• Carbon stored in permafrost released

  Allows oxidation and decomposition of vast peat stocks
• Acidification of oceans


  Reduces photosynthesis by phytoplankton, limiting capability of oceans to store carbon
• More carbon stored long-term in the atmosphere