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The mechanism, as I understand it, is that higher temperatures drives increased evaporation which leads to increased droughts. But the evaporated water in the a
by arnsholt 3y ago
The mechanism, as I understand it, is that higher temperatures drives increased evaporation which leads to increased droughts. But the evaporated water in the atmosphere has to come back down again, which it will tend to do in a great big splash. These torrential rains, I’m led to believe, don’t really penetrate deep enough into the soil to alleviate the increased evaporation (too much too fast), and they also drove erosion which aggravates the droughts I think.
- barbazoo 3y agoYou know more than me probably but another detail is that warm air can hold more water than cooler air.
- myshpa 3y agoYou're right. > higher temperatures drives increased evaporation which leads to increased droughts Certain types of vegetation work better in higher temperatures. Remove vegetation altogether, and the combination of higher temperatures, wind, and rain will transform the land into deserts. Preserve old-growth forests, and they will remain lush, green, and wet regardless of temperature variations. > the evaporated water in the atmosphere has to come back down again, which it will tend to do in a great big splash Atmospheric rivers are interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_river https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_river > don’t really penetrate deep enough into the soil to alleviate the increased evaporation (too much too fast) That depends again largely on the type of vegetation growing there. Forests and wetlands can capture the rain and allow it to seep, while pastures and corn fields will retain very little, which can lead to soil erosion and droughts / water shortages.
- sidewndr46 3y agoIt also can just come back down into the ocean, which doesn't really do anything useful if you're trying to grow crops.