Sustainability Infographic

CLimate Change IN Tampa FLorida

An overview of how climate change has affected the Tampa Bay area.

By Garrett LaFlamme

Impact

Change

Comparitives

Region

Global Effects

References

Global effects

Many effects can be brought upon due to the climate change going on in Tampa Florida. For instance, the cost of fixing and rebuilding the city from hurricanes causes millions of dollars, which can impact the United States economy as well as other economies. It also has an effect globally because of the potentional family seperation from either lost loved ones or injuries that can pull familes apart.

Help combact the problem

In order to prevent the warming of the gulf, the Tampa Bay area had a plan. According to a source, it claimed that "Tampa Bay Water invested in a 25 mgd saltwater desalination plant ($158 million) in anticipation and preparation of salt water intrusion. " this investment would help prevent the water from becoming too warm and cause potentional future damage towards homes and stores in the area. Tampa bay also has more than above average temperatures, and to combat that, they tend to build more covered buildings and better cooling systems for buildings.

Surrounding Region

The Tampa Bay area its self is considered a region, and with Bradenton being the town in the south and being my home town, ill figure I will give an example. My house was recently impacted by hurricane milton and did catostrophic damage to my neighborhood. It is evident that the entire region is impacted by this global climate change and bigger changes need to take place.

With the Tampa Bay area being in a wet climate surrounded by water, it is bound to be impacted by climate change more than other noncoastal cities. In Tampa bay, the warm climate change has warmed the Gulf of Mexico, which can intensify storms at a rapid pace. For instance, Tampa bay recently got hit by Hurricane Milton, which grew from a Catagory 2 storm to a catagory 5 in just a day. This storm caused immense damage and the city is still recovering to this day.

References

!Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Tampa Bay Diversifies Water Sources to Reduce Climate Risk. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/tampa-bay-diversifies-water-sources-reduce-climate-risk#:~:text=However%2C%20Tampa%20Bay%20Water%20faces,aforementioned%20threat%20of%20saltw Tampa, Florida Climate Change Risks and hazards: Heat, precipitation. Tampa, Florida Climate Change Risks and Hazards: Heat, Precipitation / ClimateCheck. (n.d.). https://climatecheck.com/florida/tampa

Places facing similar problems

Just like the Tampa Bay region, many places, if not all are expierencing similar problems with warm waters and extremely hot weather. This is due to the land being a peninsula and having a tropical climate. A global comparision to this region would be North India where they experience similar issues as well.