Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Figure 5.9. 
Changes in 
the air temperature, sea 
level and snow cover 
area within the last 
150 years

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84 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
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Precipitation  is  the  source  of  freshwater  which  flows  into  the 
seas and oceans, changing the freshwater and saltwater proportion. 
These  changes,  in  turn,  affect  the  warm  ocean  current  patterns. 
The mean sea level rises due to the increased precipitation and 
the melting of glaciers, ice cups and ice sheets. As a consequence, 
the habitable dry land areas decrease. Global warming and the 
related climate change can also cause serious economic problems. 
Climate change can seriously impede the agricultural production. 
The  mean  air  temperature  increases  and  unstable  winters  affect 
the plant kingdom. Due to the warm weather, many plants start to 
bloom earlier in spring and are destroyed by sudden frosts. Although 
late frosts have also occurred before the major climate change, in 
present-day warm winters the plants break into leaf well before 
spring begins. Many countries of the world that base their economies 
mostly on agriculture incur losses and may even face an economic 
crisis due to climate change. The irregularity of rainfall also causes 
serious  damage,  since  both  heavy  rains  and  draught  badly  affect 
crops. The developing countries that have not accumulated sufficient 
reserves for emergencies may experience even greater problems with 
providing living means to their residents.
Variability of climate systems can be projected with the help 
of climate models used when it is impossible to study an object or 
phenomenon directly.
All  the  issues  related  to  the  Earth’s  climate  change  are 
interrelated  –  when  the  air  temperature  changes,  the  rainfall  and 
global sea level will also change, and each of the factors will affect 
the others. This principle is underlying climate change modelling.
The increase in global warming largely depends on greenhouse 
gas concentrations and emission amounts. Therefore, to forecast the