Alabama Landscapes
Climate Change
Computer-based General Climate Models are used to predict future climate change. The models assume a "business as usual" scenario with a 1% per year increase in greenhouse gases and growing sulfur emissions. • The two most common models, Canadian (Canadian Climate Centre) and • Hadley (Hadley Centre, England), both give similar estimates of temperature changes, but differ in regional precipitation changes. Estimates for the end of the 21st century are shown in Table CC1
Table CC1. Estimates of Alabama climate changes by 2090. Heat index: combination of temperature and humidity.
|
Hadley
|
Canadian
|
|
|
temperature
|
+~5
oF
|
+~10oF
|
|
precipitation
|
+20%*
|
~0%
|
|
heat
index
|
+~8oF
|
+~20oF
|
* little change along coast, high change inland
Both models suggest a 3-10°F rise in winter lows and 3-7°F rise
in summer highs. They also suggest an increase in extreme weather
events.