Scientists Predict 56 Percent Drop in Snow Water Storage by 2050 Due To Global Warming

Scientists from Oregon State University predict that there will be a 56 percent drop in snow water storage by 2050 due to global warming.

Global warming has raised some serious concerns worldwide. Recently, pictures taken by the North Pole Environmental Observatory revealed that owing to global warming, the once frozen North Pole has now become a lake.

Scientists from Oregon State University say that by 2050 there will be a 56 percent drop in snow water storage in the McKenzie River watershed of the Oregon Cascade Range. They also predict similar occurrences in low-elevation maritime snow packs around the world.

These predictions have been made on the basis of an assumption that global temperatures will rise by 3.6 degrees. Researchers emphasize that the risks are even more severe in low-elevation, mountainous regions as in such areas, converting snow to rain only requires a very modest rise in temperature.

This shortage of water storage is bound to impact ecosystems, agriculture, hydropower, industry, municipalities and recreation, especially in summer when water demands peak.

"In Oregon we have a water-rich environment, but even here we will have to manage our water resources differently in the future," Eric Sproles, who led this study, said in a press release. "In the Willamette River, for instance, between 60-80 percent of summer stream flow comes from seasonal snow above 4,000 feet. As more precipitation falls as rain, there will more chance of winter flooding as well as summer drought in the same season. More than 70 percent of Oregon's population lives in the Willamette Valley, with the economy and ecosystems depending heavily on this river."

Researchers from Oregon State University also predicted a change in annual precipitation, which could be either 10 percent higher or lower. Maritime snow accounts for approximately 10 percent of the Earth's seasonal snow cover and over one billion people use snowmelt as their source of water.

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