Is Climate Change Impacting on Watershed Health?
There is a growing consensus among scientists that melting ice packs, rising sea levels, severe coastal flooding, increased weather extremes, crop failures, and damaged infrastructure are among the likely general impacts of a changing climate. Other studies indicate additional impacts, including new threats to human health and biodiversity and increased instability in some regions, posing significant threats to the world’s peace and security. Studies related to the impact of climate change in the Great Lakes basin and, more particularly in Muskoka and neighbouring regions, indicate higher evaporation rates from water bodies that experience shorter seasons of ice cover, more weather extremes, increased precipitation levels particularly during the winter season, and significant changes in forests and natural areas. All of these impacts have the potential to increase the stress on watershed health.
