Impact in Los Angeles

Question 1

describe LA’s microclimates

Answer 1

• ocean is relatively cool, about 65F
• high desert is warm, about 85F
• urbanized coastal zone in between the dessert and ocean is in between these two extremes at around 75F

Question 2

what determines the climatological temperature

Answer 2

• distance from coast

- whether or not a mountain range stands between the location in question and the coast

Question 3

what is the rainfall distribution in LA

Answer 3

• most air encounters the coastal topography & is forced upwards, causing condensation and precipitation
• rainfall is concentrated in the urbanized coastal zone on the coastal side of the mountains

Question 4

describe the downscaling problem in relation to LA

Answer 4

• hard to create a high resolution global climate model to accurately predict the microclimates found in LA
• downscaling involves running a regional climate model very similar to a GCM over a limited area of interest

Question 5

describe the average August temp change under the RCP8.5

Answer 5

• whole region gets warmer
• predicted to warm significantly by 2050
• temps will be way higher than what we’re used to if we stick to RCP8.5
• outside range of observed values –> no august will ever feel the same temperature

Question 6

describe the anticipated change in precipitation

Answer 6

• some GCMs show no change, some show less, some show more

- when averaged, they all cancel each other out

Question 7

snow water equivalent (SWE)

Answer 7

• common measure of the size of a snowpack

- in terms of water content

Question 8

describe the effect of the snowpack in water resources

Answer 8

• most of the dams and reservoirs have been constructed assuming the natural reservoir will exist in the form of snowpack
• if snowpack disappears, then the reservoirs will not be large enough to store the water
• will create problems relating to flood control, since the reservoirs must be empty enough to store water in case of an extreme precipitation event

Question 9

what are the Santa Ana fires

Answer 9

• occur throughout fall and winter, are characterized by winds blowing from the desert toward the ocean
• bring hot & extremely dry conditions to the mountains and coastal areas during months when conditions are typically cooler and wetter
• can lead to large fires

Question 10

what is expected to happen with fires under RCP8.5`

Answer 10

• more extreme/frequent

- average area burned more than doubles in July, August & September