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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ISSUES IN THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION
Citation:
Gable, F., D. Aubrey, AND J. Gentile. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ISSUES IN THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-93/312 (NTIS PB93229342), 1991.
Description:
Mounting evidence from both instrumental and proxy records shows global climate continues to change. nalysis of near-surface temperatures over land and oceans during the past 130 years shows marked warming during the first half of this century with relatively steady temperatures through the mid-1970s followed by a rapid warming during the 1980s. The source of this warming is unclear at present. The warmest decade in the recent record is the 1980s with some of the most pronounced warming occurring in the lower latitudes, including the Western Indian Ocean. n the context of this study, the important consequences of climate are: (1) the potential impacts associated with rising sea level due to thermal expansion of the oceans; (2) melting of land-based ice sheets and glaciers; (3) the increased frequency, intensity, and seasonality of tropical storms and the monsoon season and (4) changes in local land-use practices. ising sea level, coupled with meteorological changes, creates a potential for increased coastal erosion and loss of coastal habitats such as wetlands, mangroves, and coral reef communities. hese potential impacts may affect land-use and development practices. or example, the curtailment of tourism could alter economic growth and development. orecasting the potential regional and local impacts of global warming is not a trivial problem. eneral circulation models presently do not provide the necessary fine-scale resolution required for ascertaining such smaller-scale effects. n addition, there is little agreement between the forecasts from different of past, present, or future patterns on such fundamental climate variables as precipitation and temperature. he absence of quality regional and local tide-gauge data of the appropriate duration necessary for calculating changes in the relative sea exacerbates the existing theoretical uncertainty. evertheless, the potential impacts do represent present-day problems resulting from the alteration and acceleration of naturally occurring processes through man's activities. These types of future prob which typify the impacts as a result of global warming are occurring now partly because of human activities.
