The trend is likely to bring more extreme storms while also degrading water quality, worsening erosion and posing tougher challenges for farming
In this Dec. 15, 2016, file photo, steam rises from the surface of Lake Michigan, at sunrise in Chicago.The Great Lakes region is warming faster than the rest of the U.S., a trend likely to bring more extreme storms while also degrading water quality, worsening erosion and posing tougher challenges for farming, scientists reported Thursday.
The annual mean air temperature in the region, which includes portions of the U.S. Midwest , Northeast and southern Canada, rose 1.6 degrees from 1901-60 and 1985-2016, according to the report commissioned by the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center. During the same periods, the mean temperature for the remainder of the contiguous U.S. rose 1.2 degrees .
Warming is expected to continue this century, with rates depending on the volume of heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that humans pump into the atmosphere. As the air warms, it will hold more moisture, which likely will mean heavier winter snowstorms and spring rains – with more flooding in vulnerable areas. Yet summers will be hotter and drier.
Agriculture will be hit especially hard, said the report produced by 18 scientists, most from Midwestern universities as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Wetter springs will cause delays in planting, while crops will be more stressed with less water and more heat during summer. The report predicts yield decreases of 10-30 per cent for corn and soybeans by the end of the 21st century.Harmful algae blooms are likely to become more numerous and severe as water temperatures warm, and bacteria levels that make waters dangerous for swimming should continue to rise.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man City get great FA Cup semi draw, Wolverhampton could surprise - Sportsnet.caCraig Forrest, Danny Dichio and Brendan Dunlop breakdown the FA Cup Semi-Finals and while it looks like Man City may be a shoe-in to the Final, Dichio tells why no one should count out Wolverhampton.
Read more »
Inside RJ Barrett's quest to become Canada's next great basketball starBig Read: For several years RJ Barrett has lived up to the hype as Canada’s next great basketball star. Now on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament, he’s under a brighter spotlight than ever — and all he sees is opportunity. (michaelgrange)
Read more »
Emily Post’s great-granddaughter to release a book on pot etiquetteLizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of iconic etiquette maven Emily Post, is following in her relative’s footsteps. Although it may not have been what the elder Ms. Post originally had in mi…
Read more »
Colby Cosh: If nothing else, Notley’s election call was great timing for Alberta’s NDPNotley’s final pitch to the voters followed a week of embarrassments for Jason Kenney’s rival UCP, which has long been coasting to apparent victory in the polls
Read more »
Five reasons why you might not get the great mortgage rate you saw onlineAll the mortgage-rate comparisons you’ll ever want to see are available online, but there’s an increasingly problematic lack of context and explanation
Read more »
Theatre review: The Great War from an explosive Aboriginal perspectiveRedpatch is potent theatre, a powerful addition and corrective to the mythology around Canada’s involvement in the Great War
Read more »
Weeks: It was a good day for Tiger, but not a great oneBob Weeks has more on Tiger Woods opening round at The Players which saw him fire a 2-under, 70 to start the tournament. His putter helped him out on the greens but his play on the par 5's and his approach shots will need to improve is he wants to get back into contention.
Read more »
Weeks on Woods' day at TPC Sawgrass: '17 great holes, one absolute disaster'After beginning the day only two shots off the lead, Tiger Woods looked to be in good shape until he ran into the 17th hole. TSN Golf analyst Bob Weeks discusses what went wrong for Woods on 17 at TPC Sawgrass.
Read more »
Spring Break Reads: 70+ great books for kids and teens, as recommended by librariansWith two weeks of Spring Break ahead, Lower Mainland kids who love to read will find an embarrassment of riches at their local public library branches.
Read more »
At 80, Brian Mulroney wonders: Where have all the great leaders gone?As he becomes an octogenarian, the former prime minister frets not about his legacy, but about a global leadership void amid a rising anti-immigrant tide
Read more »