The line which was regarded as a "climate division" due to climate change is steadily moving east

byJimmy Emerson, DVM

In the Midwestern part of the North American continent, the plain on the vast plateau spreading north-south "Great Plains"there is. What has been said for many years with the eastern end of the Great Plains is a line of "west 100 degrees" drawn just to divide the United States east and west, distinguishing between the dry western American and the moist american eastern part " Climate division "has been made. It is reported that this "climate division" is moving to the east due to the climate change which has been active over the years.

The 100th Meridian, Where the Great Plains Begin, May Be Shifting | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/100th-meridian-where-great-plains-begin-may-be-shifting

Later in the nineteenth century, he is an American explorerJohn Wesley PowellMr. explored the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains around the Midwestern USA and found that the climate is greatly different on the east side and the west side bordered by the 100 degree west longitude line. The western part of the western 100 degree line is dry climate, but in the eastern region the climate is relatively damp.

Mr. Powell says, "As you cross the east to the west of the 100-degree west longitude you can observe a completely different climate, plants grown abundantly spread to the east side, plants of the Asteraceae will bloom flashy flowers You can see that the landscape is beautifully decorated, but in the west there are fewer types of grasses and flowers.The grass grows locally in the exposed ground and you can see the cactus with thorns "It describes the climate which changes with the 100 degree west longitude line.

140 years after Mr. Powell insisted that "100 degrees west longitude is the division of climate", the rich plant in the eastern part is changing to crops such as corn and wheat, but still the damp Eastern part The dry western situation has not changed. However, in recent years, scientists think that "the division of climate is shifting to the east side of the western 100 degree line".

bySven Van Echelpoel

Of course it does not necessarily mean that a completely different climate will emerge at the boundary of 100 degrees west longitude. However, due to the influence of the wind blowing to the earth, it is certain that precipitation drops greatly around 100 degrees west longitude. Due to the Rocky Mountains on the west side of the Great Plains, the damp wind blowing from the Pacific Ocean is blocked, and almost no moisture is carried from the Pacific Ocean to the area east of the Rocky Mountains.

In addition, the storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean brings rain to the eastern and southeastern parts of the United States, but when it reaches inland of 100 degrees west long, it is rare that the storm will reach and rain will not rain. In summer, the damp atmosphere from the Gulf of Mexico goes northward, but this atmosphere flows curved to the east side, so it will result in rain in the eastern United States as well.

Meteorologist at Columbia UniversityRichard SegerAccording to Mr., the climate in the east and the western part of the western 100 degree line of the United States is totally different climate, so that the area where the climate and the climate can be divided by one line is the Sahara desert in Africa if it is on earth It seems that it is about a line separating regions other than.

In the United States, the population density declined sharply in the western part of the western 100 degree line compared to the eastern side, and the number of houses and commercial facilities also decreased. On the west side, each farmhouse has a very large farm, which reflects the fact that the western region has less moisture and less crop yield. In addition, 70% of the crops produced in the farmland on the east side are maize growing with abundant moisture, but mostly on the west side are wheat.

byDon Graham

In recent years, researchers believe that due to the effect of global warming, the line dividing the climate on the east side and west side is moving east. In the plain in the northern part of the US the amount of moisture evaporating from the soil is increasing due to the rise in temperature, although the precipitation itself has not changed. In conjunction with this change the pattern of the wind blowing southward will change, precipitation will decrease.

According to the data collected since 1980, the line that divides the dry zone and the wet zone crosses the 99 degrees west longitude and travels east to 98 degrees west longitude line. Mr. Seger is currently moving "climate division" living with local influences, but I think that the increase of arid regions will have a visible and significant effect during the 21st century.

According to Mr. Seger 's prediction, as the arid region spreads to the east side, farmers in the east need to have even larger farms and have to make appropriate flood control work or convert cultivated crops from maize to wheat That's right. Furthermore, it is said that there is a possibility that a water shortage problem may occur even in the urban area of ​​the east, and climate change is considered to slowly influence the United States.

by_tono