Deserts Expanding With Jet Stream Shift

Deserts Expanding With Jet Stream Shift

Deserts in the American Southwest and around the globe are creeping toward heavily populated areas as the jet streams shift, researchers reported Thursday.

The result: Areas already stressed by drought may get even drier.

Satellite measurements made from 1979 to 2005 show that the atmosphere in the subtropical regions both north and south of the equator is heating up. As the atmosphere warms, it bulges out at the altitudes where the northern and southern jet streams slip past like swift and massive rivers of air. That bulging has pushed both jet streams about 70 miles closer to the Earth's poles.

Since the jet streams mark the edge of the tropics, in essence framing the hot zone that hugs the equator, their outward movement has allowed the tropics to grow wider by about 140 miles. That means the relatively drier subtropics move as well, pushing closer to places like Salt Lake City, where Thomas Reichler, co-author of the new study, teaches meteorology.

More...

Whatever the cause, climatic change is happening on a scale far greater than I think most people anticipated for our lifetime.

For all the talk of oil, water may be the sleeper issue of far greater importance.

[edit on 25-5-2006 by loam]

thanks loam this is more fodder for the Soon to be Worldwide Water Shortage??

It's only a matter a time before water will be a tradeable commodity in the US and world markets and once that happens, know that there's no turning back and we're all going to be screwed.

[edit on 5-25-2006 by worldwatcher]

I quite agree... That is one scary future...