Change in Runoff in the North Pacific, 2004
Keywords: Fish, Forests, Ocean Habitat
(From Atlas of Pacific Salmon: The First Map-based Status Assessment of Salmon in the North Pacific)
The extent and the effects of global climate change remain hypotheses that scientists are exploring through modeling. Assuming a doubling of CO2 levels by the close of this century, the hydrological cycle of the North Pacific will have fundamentally changed. At the center of the range for salmon, in the Gulf of Alaska and along the British Columbia coastline, runoff will increase, causing river flows and flooding incidents to increase and temperatures to decrease. The Bering Sea, however, will suffer from decreased freshwater inputs. The western Pacific will become drier and hotter, with the exception of the Arctic coastline.
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Map by: Charles Steinback, Andrew Fuller
Created: December 15, 2004
