The Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrological Cycle
Kevin Trenberth
Former Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC
Water is irreplaceable, non-substitutable and absolutely essential for life. The global water cycle is also changing. Join Kevin Trenberth in this video where he outlines what precipitation is, the hydrological cycle and how this is changing due to the climate crisis.
Water is irreplaceable, non-substitutable and absolutely essential for life. The global water cycle is also changing. Join Kevin Trenberth in this video where he outlines what precipitation is, the hydrological cycle and how this is changing due to the climate crisis.
The Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrological Cycle
16 mins 33 secs
Precipitation results from the condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere that falls from clouds as a result of gravity. This includes drizzle rain and snow. The hydrological cycle is the process of evaporation from the surface moisture of the land and its vegetation, and ocean surface into the atmosphere and then back again as precipitation. Higher air temperatures mean there is more atmospheric demand for moisture. The increased heat in the climate is causing more evaporation, leading to prospects of more storms of increasing size, intensity and length.
Key learning objectives:
Understand what precipitation is
Understand how the hydrological cycle works
Outline the effect of the climate crisis on the hydrological cycle
Kevin Trenberth
18:57
19:41
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