Strong rainstorms pummel the region more frequently and cause greater damage ? yet another effect of global warming, an environmental group says.
“At the rate we?re going, what was once the storm of the decade will seem like just another downpour,” said Tommy Landers, field organizer for Environment Maryland, which released a report Tuesday on increasing extreme precipitation.
Heavy rainfall occurs 15 percent more frequently than it did 60 years ago in the South Atlanticarea, which runs from Maryland to Florida, according to the report.
Maryland saw only a 3 percent increase in extreme storms, but in other states, such as Pennsylvania, the frequency of storms jumped 41 percent, according to the report.
The report examined rain and snow trends across the country from 1948 to 2006. Nationally, the frequency of extreme participation rose 24 percent.
Extreme downpours lead to flooding, crop damage, pollution from runoff, erosion and other damage, the report states.
The June 2006 downpour in Maryland that caused three deaths and more than $25 million in damage is an example of how detrimental extreme weather can be, Landers said.
“Global warming is already beginning to affect life in Maryland,” he said at a news conference at the offices of the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance in Baltimore.
As the air temperature warms, more water is evaporated, and warmer air allows the atmosphere to hold more water. This contributes to heavier rainstorms, said Ben Zaitchik, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Maryland.
In releasing the report, Environment Maryland called on Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., to strengthen a global warming bill before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which Cardin is a member.
The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007 “falls short” and should require tougher, science-based pollution reduction targets, Landers said.
Cardin?s spokeswoman, Sue Walitsky, said Cardin “thinks it?s a good bill that he will help strengthen in the markup, including adding more science-based targets.”
Rep. John Sarbanes, D-District 3, who attended the event, said Congress has reached a “political tipping point,” where they are beginning to make progress on curbing global warming pollution.
