Effects of a Changing Climate

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Increased Temperatures

Increased global temperatures could prove beneficial to some regions of agricultural development by lengthening the growing season and allowing crops to grow faster. The effect of increased temperature would depend on the crops’ optimal temperature for growth, however, soil nutrients could be lost and water availability could decline causing irrigation to be increasingly difficult to provide.

Source: NWS | NOAA

Floods and Droughts

Changes in the frequency and strength of floods and droughts, and shifts in temperature extremes would pose multiple challenges for farmers and ranchers such as loss of crops to too much or too little water.

Source: NOAA Photo Library

Warmer Ocean Waters

In addition to sea level rise, which could inundate coastal agricultural areas, increasing water temperature can disrupt ocean ecosystems, causing a modification or relocation of the habitats of fish and shellfish. Some species are less resilient to these kinds of changes and could be pushed out by invasive species, leaving coastal and offshore fisheries depleted.