An article published this week in The Conversation pointed out that tropical zones on Earth are currently expanding, and that could mean problems for Australia among other places. Here in the Southeast, most of us are not quite in the tropical zone now, but if that zone expands, it is likely to change the climate here as well, although perhaps not as drastically as Australian climate is expected to change.
The edges of the tropical zone are characterized by sinking air, and that is why there is a region of deserts on the globe at approximately 30 degrees north and south latitude (for example the Sahara desert). But if the tropics expands, that zone of sinking air may migrate north and affect more of the US, particularly on the southern edges, including us in the Southeast. It’s not clear if and when that might happen, so scientists need to do more work to determine what the likely impacts of this and other changes are likely to be. You can read the article here.
If the tropics does expand, it could also mean opportunities for Southeastern farmers as growing seasons will increase, leading to the possibility of more double-cropping or different crops. The availability of water will be key and we don’t have a good handle on how that will change. But evaporation and evapotranspiration will increase in warmer temperatures, so having good supplies of water will be key to adapting to the changes in climate that will come.
