The future decades will lead to deterioration of the climate in the Western Balkans region, which will represent a threat to coastal cities, regional agriculture, moreover, the health consequences for population are possible as well, and the only way to prevent that kind of scenario is to act right away, as noted by experts.
The measurements clearly show the continuous melting of the ice, especially in the Arctic Circle as well as the rise of the level of world seas, said Ivan Guettler, the climatologist in the National Hydrometeorological Institute of Croatia (DHMZ).
The level of the sea, besides the contribution of melting ice, is also increased because of the thermal expansion that is taking place due to the increase in temperature. The Adriatic region is similar to the rest of the Mediterranean, where the increase of the sea level is somewhat smaller than the rest of the world’s seas and oceans, which is why an increase of 3 millimeters per year is recorded. Although it might not sound as much, it could grow to 30 to 60 centimeters by the end of the century, which depends on the calculations of oceanographers.
“The entire area of South East Europe is facing numerous consequences that are responsible for climate change: thermal waves, long drought periods, as well as droughts that are causing large damage to agriculture and water management,” said Goran Pejanovic, the assistant director of the National Center for Climatic Change of the Republic Hydrometeorological Institute of Serbia.
The highest increase of temperature has been recorded since 1970, and the last decade was the warmest, stated Pejanovic.
“The European seas, especially the eastern Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Black Sea, are warming up much faster. The ice and snow cover has been dramatically decreased in the last few decades, which caused a rise in the sea level. Numerous extreme meteorological, hydrological and climatic events were caused by global warming, bith in the world as well as in our region. As the ocean and the atmosphere are getting warmer, the air can receive more water due to its evaporation, 7 % on every level of heating, and therefore we can expect larger precipitation. There were 350 floods in Europe, in the last 35 years, of which 240 in the last fifteen years, and we all remember very well the catastrophic floods that took place in BiH, Serbia and Croatia in the month of May 2014,” said the expert of the National Center for Climate Change of Serbia.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
