Sunday, 16 December 2012

What are the predicted impacts of climate change on Ontario’s climate?

As a high latitude country, Canada has already experienced greater temperature increases than low-latitude countries. By 2100, Ontario’s average temperature could increase by 3 to 6oC in the winter and 4 to 8oC in the summer.

Listed below are some of the predicted impacts of climate change on Ontario:

  • Due to the warmer temperature, there will be more rainfall, but some areas will become drier and others will become wetter
  • Ecoregions will move northward as carbon dioxide concentrations and temperatures increase.
  • Less ice cover on lakes in the winter and more forest fires

Satellite image of The Great Lakes shows little to no coverage of ice in March 2012
    Deer's ticks can cause fever and skin rash to humans
  • Ontario’s boreal forest will likely shrink, and plant and animal species will migrate northward
  • Insect pests could migrate northward, attacking the southern fringes of our forests. As our forests become less healthy, they may become a carbon source rather than a carbon sink
  •  As summer gets hotter, we will use more electricity for air conditioning
Usage of electricity increases in the summer, as the temperature increases

There are also some predicted impacts that may positively affect Ontario, such as:
Longer growing season makes farmer able to plant more crops
  • In the winter, energy use may decrease due to warmer weather
  • Spring would come earlier as the climate warms, and the growing season for crops and other plants would lengthen
  • Land in the Arctic could become useful for agriculture as the permafrost melts.

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