The Australian Alps may suffer from a loss of snow and surrounding regions could endure flooding as climate change supercharges phenomena known as ‘atmospheric rivers’.
The Australian Alps may suffer from a loss of snow and surrounding regions could endure flooding as climate change supercharges phenomena known as ‘atmospheric rivers’.
Professor Hamish McGowan from The University of Queensland said research showed this phenomenon would likely drastically alter Australia’s alpine wilderness.
“Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow regions of high moisture content in the lower atmosphere that transport most of the water vapour from the tropics to the sub-tropics and midlatitudes,” Professor McGowan said.
“As the name suggests, they’re like large rivers in the sky, often extending over thousands of kilometres, and as the climate warms, the intensity of these events is predicted to become more extreme and frequent.
“Climate change means more rain on the snowpack, and increased snowmelt in these regions.
Read more at: University of Queensland
Australian Alps (Photo Credit: Greg Brave)
