Dominica Climate
Dominican Climate, Dominican a small island nation, is at the forefront of climate change. Dominica views climate change as a pressing and far-reaching development issue, not merely an environmental one, as sea level rise and harsh weather affect the entire population.
The northeast trade winds, which are consistent in tropical climes and blow regularly and with moderate force during the first period, are more irregular and may have some interruptions during the second period, heightening the impression of sultriness.
There are two transitional periods between them: from mid-November to early January (when the northeast wind starts to blow, the temperature drops a little, and the weather improves) and from mid-April to mid-June (when the northeast wind starts to blow, the temperature drops a little, and the weather improves) (when both the temperature and the frequency of downpours gradually increase).
Temperature and Dominican Climate
- Since 1960, the average annual temperature has risen by roughly 0.7°C, or 0.16°C each decade. There is inadequate daily observational data to determine trends in daily temperature extremes, according to the United Nations Development Program and the Tyndall Centre for Dominican Climate Change Research.
- Between 1960 and 2003, the number of hot days and nights grew while the number of cold days and nights declined.
Precipitation and Dominican Climate
The average monthly rainfall of Dominica has fallen by 11–18 mm (6–7%) every decade from March to August, but this decline is not statistically significant because it is somewhat offset by decreases of roughly 7 mm (3%) each decade in December, January, and February.
- The average temperature in Roseau, the capital, is as follows. As you can see, the coolest and warmest periods have very minor differences.
- Dominica is a harsh and steep volcanic island with a high topography (John, Bellot and Parry, 2001).
The island is home to a diverse ecosystem, a year-round river system, and large rainforests. The country’s vegetation covers 60% of its land area, comprising scrub woodlands and luxuriant tropical forest (John, Bellot and Parry, 2001).
The North East Trade Winds impact Dominica’s tropical marine climate, while the island’s steep topography causes microclimate fluctuation over short distances. (John, Bellot and Parry, 2001).
Since 1979, the country has had about 15 extreme weather occurrences due to its location within the tropical Atlantic hurricane belt.
Climate change is expected to impact on this sector in three ways in Dominica
(a) Changes in temperature have an impact on a variety of species, water flow in watersheds, wildlife food availability, forest pests, disease, and vulnerability to catastrophic climate events.
(b) Sea level rise poses a significant threat to coastal habitats (such as coastal freshwater ponds, brackish water systems, mangroves, and arable floodplains). Increasing pressure on forest reserves as a result of the salinization of coastal agricultural fields.
Inundation and rising storm events have resulted in the loss of coastal woods (e.g. mangroves and low lying tropical dry forests). Wildlife species may migrate or become extinct as a result of changed environments.
(c) There’s also a chance that hurricanes in the Caribbean may become more frequent and intense, posing a risk of landfall. Tropical disasters have a significant impact on terrestrial ecosystems.
Because so much of Dominica’s vital infrastructure is located near the coast, near to the current sea level, flooding and storms are a constant threat. Furthermore, 90% of the population lives in coastal settlements, with Roseau, the main population center, located on the leeward coast.
Except for hillside residential construction or density increases in previously built-up areas, most settlements have relatively little room for expansion. As a result, as the population of specific areas grows, hillside constructions on the outskirts of existing towns and on small seaside headlands are becoming more common.
Extreme occurrences, such as hurricanes, have a significant risk of wreaking havoc on these locations.
The Caribbean’s topography makes it vulnerable to Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms, which are expected to intensify as a result of Dominican climate change.
Salt intrusion into freshwater supplies is also a problem for small island settlements, rendering the region extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Dominican Climate Change due to the Global Climate Change
According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2015, the Dominican Republic is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world (Kreft et al., 2014).
The country is indeed very much exposed to both rapid on-set disasters (in particular, storms, cyclones, floods and landslides) and slow on-set processes (such as sea-level rise and desertification).
These phenomena greatly affect the population, especially the most poor and vulnerable. Only during the period 2008 – 2014, 95,004 people have been displaced as a result of natural disasters such as floods, storms and cyclones (Wooding and Morales, 2015; Melde, 2015).
As a result of sea-level rise and coastal erosion, several towns have already been evacuated (Melde, 2015).
The Dominican Republic is the world’s 11th most vulnerable country to climate change.
Floods are the most common Dominican climate-related hazard in the Dominican Republic, with the northeastern region particularly vulnerable to floods and mudslides caused by severe storms, while arid parts of the northwest are experiencing rising temperatures, leading to more drought, which reduces crop yields and water supplies.
Furthermore, the island is located in the heart of a hurricane belt, where powerful storms often destroy hotels, coastal infrastructure, and beaches, resulting in considerable tourism revenue losses. Storms can wreak havoc on fish nursery zones and coral reefs, putting coastal fisheries in jeopardy.
reference – Adoptation .undp ,climatelinks
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