Climate of British Indian Ocean Territory
Climate Background
Extremes can arise only when numerous preconditions are met. Extreme rainfall, for example, necessitates maximum (“potential”) moisture delivery into the location, high temperatures (or wide temperature gradients), and severe atmospheric instability.
An alignment of these “ingredients” is uncommon. Several of these circumstances, however, may experience a systematic rise in occurrence as a result of climate change, which is especially true for global temperatures.
If that one requirement – greater temperatures – is met more frequently, the likelihood of a combination occurrence increases. Warmer temperatures are especially significant for precipitation since the Clausius-Clapeyron-Relationship states that each 1oC rise in air temperature enhances the air’s ability to transport moisture by 7%.Consequently, the warmer the air, the more moisture it “can” transport, and so, if rain falls, much more water may be tapped into.
When compared to typical precipitation, extreme precipitation events may exhibit various signals and, in most cases, bigger magnitudes of change. (2) As the planet warms, the ability of air to carry moisture increases dramatically, increasing the possibility of heavier precipitation.
This means that strong occurrences will likely occur more frequently, thereby increasing the danger of floods. Only in locations where precipitation incidence decreases greatly can the trend toward higher rainfall be reversed, and return periods of major events rise rather than decrease.
Recent Climate – Climate of British Indian Ocean Territory