The year 2022 saw some inevitable, drastic and strange changes in the water cycle. It was the third year of La Niña which brought heavy rain to Southeast Asia and Australia, while other parts of the Pacific experienced severe drought conditions.
While these patterns were indeed predicted, one may wonder what are the reasons behind these strange and drastic variations. Well, these situations are probably not just coincidences, they are warning signs in nature.
Let’s take a look at what happened in the year 2022 regarding the water cycle.
A third consecutive year of La Niña had an impact on weather conditions around the world in 2022. It is quite unusual to see three consecutive years of La Niña.
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La Niña is an ocean event in which sea surface temperatures are colder than unusual in the eastern and central tropical Pacific and warmer than usual in the western Pacific.
The La Niña phenomenon helps boost the easterly trade winds that cause rain in southeastern Australia and Asia.
In 2022, La Niña shook hands with the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and caused flooding from Iran to New Zealand. In fact, it was a widespread flood.
Pakistan experienced the most terrible floods. Around 8 million people were forced to leave their homes due to massive flooding on the Indus River. Australia also suffered the brunt of these calamities, due to multiple floods that occurred throughout the year. The floods not only occurred in the east, but also parts of Western Australia, such as Kimberly, suffered massive devastation.
While some flood areas faced devastating flooding, La Niña brought drought to other areas. Yes, the other side of the Pacific Ocean experienced a severe drought. Central South America and the western United States experienced a multi-year drought. Lakes in these areas experienced a record low.
The drought decimated crops and caused a devastating situation in the Horn of Africa.
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Worrying trends in rainfall
Regions from India to northern Australia that are considered monsoon regions are becoming wetter. Additionally, Africa and parts of the Americas are becoming increasingly dry. These areas also include the western United States. In fact, 2022 was the 23rd year of drought in the Western United States. If total rainfall records are analyzed monthly, the records appear to be intact. However, short-term rainfall is becoming increasingly intense in countless regions. The heavy rains have alarmed communities across the planet alike in the year 2022. Communities in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan and India are alarmed by the shocking trends.
Heavy rains leading to flash floods and landslides have been the reason why thousands of people lost their lives and many more left their homes and started a life from scratch in a relatively safer space with minimal livelihood. After analyzing the situation, an obvious question arises here!
If those floodplains are so prone to flooding, why do people choose to settle in those regions?
All other reasons aside, the main reason why people are increasingly choosing to settle in such flood-prone areas lies in the concern of the growing population.
Yes, population growth with each passing day is forcing people to reside on floodplains and unstable, landslide-prone slopes. The growing population, huge settlements in disaster-prone areas and changing trends in rainfall are factors contributing to terrible disasters for humanity.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn