109Climate Change and Its Effect on Ecosystems
Climate change is expected to cause intensication in the hydrologic cycle,
with a marked increase in evaporation over land and water. The higher the
evaporation rate, the greater the drying will be of soils and vegetation. In
areas where there is a decrease in rainfall and an increase in evaporation,
droughts will occur, be more severe, and last longer.
Drought already threatens the lives of millions of people on earth. As the
atmosphere continues to warm under the effects of climate change, the nega-
tive effects and hardships brought on by drought will spread across the globe
as areas heat up and dry out. According to a study conducted by the Hadley
Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, ...