Want to create interactive content? It’s easy in Genially!
Phoenix, Arizona
Trevor Ben (C-41Devlopment)
Created on November 23, 2024
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
Transcript
Phoenix, Arizona
Direct Impact
+INFO
What are some visible or measurable impacts of climate change on Arizona?
+INFO
What effects does it have globally?
Global Impact
+INFO
How does this effect the area around it?
Nearby Region
+INFO
Where else is similar climate change being experienced?
Similar Areas
+INFO
What is being done to combat climate change in Phoenix?
Solutions
For managing heat, the city has enacted the "Phoenix Climate Action Plan"Between 2022 and 2023 the city has planted around 6400 trees and constructed more shaded structures in public spaces. They have also repaved over 100 miles of streets with cool pavement which reflects more radiation and is more permeable than traditional asphalt.By extension, the increased vegetation and newly repaved roads aims to reduce flooding during monsoons.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.05.047 https://www.phoenix.gov/oepsite/Documents/COPHX_2024_2522_CAPReport_FullBook_C7.4.pdf
Combatting Climate Change
Here's what they've done in Phoenix
In 2024, from May 27th to September 16th (113 days) the daily high was never below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.In 2023, Maricopa County (where Phoenix is located) reported 645 heat related deaths which is both an increase of 52% from 2022 and the highest on record.Interestingly, higher temperatures may have increased crop yields such as hay by extending growing seasons, however the increased precipitation significantly reduces cotton yields. Furthermore, as Phoenix is in a desert/shrubland climate rain doesn't occur often. When it does, it comes as a monsoon. Data shows that both the drought periods, and monsoon seasons have become increasingly severe. Wildlife from vegetation to animals are threatened by droughts and by prolonged wildfires. In 2020, over 980,000 acres of Arizona were burned in wildfires.
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/accounting-adaptation-assessing-impact-climatic/docview/1920655401/se-2?accountid=10003 https://mapazdashboard.arizona.edu/article/arizonas-heat-related-death-white-paper-full-report https://sgsup.asu.edu/basics-arizona-monsoon-desert-meteorology
The state of Arizona has gotten around 2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter over the last century.
The Effect on Phoenix
Arizona is major state for agricultural, with their largest products being dairy/cattle and cotton. With all the agricultural industries in Arizona, the exports amounted to $1.39 billion dollars in 2019.With declining water availability, the agricultural production of Arizona could impact especially the supply of food and other goods in the western US.Phoenix specifically is responsible for 59% of Arizona's exports. In terms of non agricultural exports, computer parts accounted for $5.2 billion dollars of exports. The largest country exported to was Mexico at $2.9 billion followed by China at $1.1 billion dollars. To sustain these industries, the area has to be prepared especially for warming. A big threat to the area could be an electrical blackout, which increase in frequency in hot temperatures and lead to deadly consequences as the lack of air conditioning causes fatal temperatures within indoor spaces.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2021.100787 https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/9/350/files/2017/05/AZ2020-FactSheet-Feeding-the-Economy_2019.pdf
Global Impact
What are Some Global Effects?
The Sonoran Desert borders the Mojave Desert and also is near both the Great Basin and Chihuahuan Deserts.In the Chihuahuan Desert, when comparing the periods 1967-1992 to 1993-2018 precipitation went down by 18% causing forage production to drop by a staggering 43%. In the Mojave Desert, National Park Services notes that wildfires have become more common and are allowing invasive grassland species are becoming more prominent as the native shrubbery gets burned. The Great Basin is also experiencing a takeover from invasive grasses in the aftermath of wildfires. Furthermore, snowpack is decreasing as temperatures warm and droughts get longer.
https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_UCF/a65521/cdi_proquest_journals_2311904782https://www.nps.gov/moja/learn/nature/researchneeds.htm
Nearby Regions
How has this impacted nearby areas?
The Sonoran Desert is unique, in that it towards its north where Phoenix is located borders on tropicality while further south experiences more arid desert qualities.Most similar to the Phoenix area, would be shrublands. Places that get more rain than deserts typically would, yet less than a traditional forest area.Examples include: the Nama Karoo in Namibia (Southern Africa), and the Carnarvon Xeric Shrublands in Western Australia.
https://botanicalsociety.org.za/getting-to-know-the-secretive-nama-karoo-biome/ https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/carnarvon-xeric-shrublands/
Similar Global Locations
Subtropical Deserts and Shrublands
Phoenix, Arizona is located in the Sonoran Desert which is a subtropical desert. However, the Sonoran Desert around Phoenix is unique, in that it often gets enough precipitation during the monsoon seasons to allow numerous plant species to thrive.Similar to Phoenix are Xeric Shrublands which have higher precipitation than deserts, but less than forests. Some examples of Xeric Shrublands are Nama Karoo in Namibia (Southern Africa) and the Carnarvon Xeric Shrubland in western Australia. The possibility exists both for more extreme precipitation as in Phoenix, or further desertification as drought periods increase in length.
https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/carnarvon-xeric-shrublands/ https://botanicalsociety.org.za/getting-to-know-the-secretive-nama-karoo-biome/