Climate change is affecting the distribution of precipitation

Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay stated that global climate change is affecting the regular distribution of precipitation throughout the year.

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Climate change is affecting the distribution of precipitation

Prof. Dr. Tolunay, Head of the Department of Soil Science and Ecology at the Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry, explained in Edirne, where he arrived for a conference, that the effects of global climate change linked to global warming are being clearly felt in Turkey.

Stating that average temperatures worldwide are gradually rising, Tolunay noted that extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and storms are beginning to occur more frequently.

THE NUMBER OF HOT DAYS HAS INCREASED IN TURKEY

Expressing that changes in the precipitation regime have occurred in Turkey due to climate change, Tolunay said, "Even if the total annual precipitation amount remains the same, one of the things we are seeing is that the distribution of precipitation throughout the year is changing. Precipitation is arriving suddenly in the form of heavy downpours. These downpours turn into floods. Subsequently, this situation extends the duration of summer droughts."

Prof. Dr. Tolunay stated that changes in temperature and precipitation regimes affect all living organisms.

Pointing out that the number of hot days throughout the year has increased in Turkey, Tolunay noted the following:

"In the past, there was no precipitation only in July and August. Now, we see that precipitation has decreased from almost April to November and December, and it is not arriving in the form of effective rainfall. In Turkey, average temperatures have increased by approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius between 1970 and 2000. There has been no general change in total precipitation. However, something like this is happening: there was no period in the last 50 years where there were 4 consecutive years of drought. It would be dry for 1 year or at most 2 years. When we look at the general picture, there has been an ongoing drought across the country since 2020. Drought periods are lengthening."

Drawing attention to the fact that extreme weather events such as floods and droughts linked to climate change will increase, Tolunay emphasized that cities must be made resilient against these conditions.

News Source: AA