News
WZZM13 - Experts predict significantly more rain and snow in Michigan during spring and winter seasons.
June 13, 2019
Author: Nina DeSarro
ALLENDALE, Michigan — There's no question that the climate is changing. The temperatures in the great lakes are warming, and there's a significant increase in precipitation - both in winter and spring. It's primarily caused by humans.
"It's important to understand that climate change is not something that's happening in the future, it's happening already," Geography and Sustainable Planning professor for Grand Valley State University Elena Lioubimtseva said.
This concept could certainly explain all of this rain.
"We found very significant increase of precipitation that we should expect in winter and in spring, both primarily in the form of rain but also the increase of snow especially at the end of winter," Lioubimtseva said.
The winters are becoming warmer and warmer every year and the amount of rain and snow during large scale weather events is increasing.
"There is a significant long term trend," Lioubimtseva said. "It's not just the difference between this year and last year, there is a very steady trend of increased precipitation in Michigan, particularly west Michigan and this is clearly linked to climate change."
Lioubimtseva says the farmers can see the change better than most.
"Farmers know that climate change is happening, they have been witnessing and observing it for many many years," Lioubimtseva said. "Just from their first hand experience from the land - crops are changing and they're looking for different solutions."
In some ways, she believes Michigan is lucky.
"This is our really major protector for this state," Lioubimtseva said.
The Great Lakes shield us from many catastrophic weather patterns.
"Not only Michigan but the entire country, the entire United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes waters," Lioubimtseva said.
Protecting the Great Lakes and protecting the climate is something this professor says is totally doable.
"The technology is already available, the technology is here, the United States alone has enough renewable energy for the entire world," Lioubimtseva said.
But, experts say humans need to act fast.
"The entire country the entire world is affected by climate change and we have a fairly short period of time to act and start reversing that and slowing down those changes," Lioubimtseva said.
She estimates that we have a 10 to 12 year window where we can slow down and stabilize climate change, and if we do that, we may experience a one to two degree temperature increase by the middle of the century. If we do nothing to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions, scientists predict a five degree increase by 2050.