Guest “Will climate change increase our chances of finding a pot of gold?” by David Middleton
Climate change to create more rainbows
Posted on October 28, 2022 by Marcie GrabowskiClimate change will increase chances of seeing rainbows, according to a new page research led by researchers at the University of Hawai’i (UH) in Mānoa. The study’s authors estimate that by 2100, average land locations on Earth will experience about 5 percent more rainbow days than they did in the early 21st century. The northern latitudes and very high altitudes , where warming is predicted to lead to less snow and more rain, will reap the most benefits from a rainbow. However, places with reduced rainfall due to climate change – such as the Mediterranean – are forecast to lose rainbow days.
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“Living in Hawai’i, I am grateful that the beautiful, ephemeral rainbows are a part of my everyday life,” said the study’s lead author, Kimberly Carlson, currently working at New York University’s Department of Environmental Studies. “I wonder how climate change might affect rainbow viewing opportunities.”
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The Hawaiian Islands, recently dubbed the “Rainbow capital of the world, is predicted to spend a few more days with a rainbow each year. The authors stopped short of discussing how changes in the rainbow’s appearance could affect human health. However, the rainbow has been an important part of human culture throughout history and around the world and is highly aesthetic.
“Climate change will create pervasive changes across all aspects of the human experience on Earth. “Changes in invisible parts of the environment – such as sound and light – are part of these changes and deserve more attention from researchers,” says Carlson.
In this case, the overall findings are encouraging – it looks like people will have more opportunities to make rainbow connections in the face of climate change.
Read more Eurekalert.
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai’i in Mānoa
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