GEF

Unit 4  |  The Global Water Crisis 102 heat from escaping to space, raising the average temperature of the planet. With higher global temperatures come a range of impacts, including extreme weather, erratic rainfall, stronger hurricanes, sea level rise, and melting sea ice and continental glaciers. The effects of climate change are already being felt around the world, and scientists predict that they will continue to intensify in the coming decades. Higher temperatures mean higher rates of evaporation from land and sea areas, in effect speeding up the global water cycle . More water in the atmosphere causes more precipita- tion, and scientists have found that global precipitation has increased significantly over the last twenty years. In some regions this has caused increased flooding. For example, historic floods in the Mississippi River basin in 2011 were WATER CYCLE A biogeochemical cycle that tracks the movement of water through earth systems. WATCH & LEARN http://bit.ly/2vuOzVg Watch the video and respond to the questions below. 1. What are three ways a majority of scientist say human activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere? 2. What are the two primary greenhouse gases generated by human activity? 3. What are three signs that climate change is adversely affecting weather systems? video: Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change