This paper examines the potential effects of global warming on Little Rock, Arkansas, a city situated in a humid subtropical climate along the Arkansas River. Beginning with an overview of the city's geography, climate, and local residential ecology, the paper traces how human development has already altered the natural environment. It then analyzes how continued warming trends could intensify rainfall, trigger flooding, produce extreme summer heat, and disrupt local plant and animal life. The paper also considers economic consequences, including increased energy consumption, higher household costs, and reduced summer tourism, concluding that Little Rock faces significant climate-related challenges common to comparably situated cities.
Little Rock, Arkansas, is located in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, on the south bank of the Arkansas River. Lake Maumelle lies northwest of the city and provides its drinking water. Little Rock sits within a humid subtropical climate zone. Winters are mild, with temperatures in the coldest months — December and January — hovering around fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are hot and humid, with July and August temperatures averaging well above ninety degrees. Little Rock averages over one hundred inches of rain per year and typically receives around four inches of snow.
The residential area described in this paper is within city limits. The neighborhood consists predominantly of single-family homes on small lots. Most residents maintain typical home landscapes comprised of shrubs, annual and perennial flowers, and small vegetable gardens. Wildlife diversity is limited. Trees in the neighborhood attract songbirds and squirrels, as do the feeders some residents maintain. Occasionally, one might spot a rabbit or a small garden snake.
Human activity has significantly affected the local ecosystem. When houses were built, land had to be cleared, displacing native plants, animals, and insects. The area is now warmer than it would have been before construction and human habitation, because fewer shade trees and less vegetation remain to produce a cooling effect on the land. Concrete, asphalt, and roof shingles all absorb and retain heat. Plants, animals, and insects naturally enjoy a symbiotic relationship, and that relationship was disrupted when the neighborhood was developed. Plants can no longer grow where pavement has replaced soil. Less soil remains to absorb rainwater, drainage paths changed when houses and roads were constructed, and insects and animals that depended on native plants and water sources may no longer thrive under these altered conditions.
Life would change for the nearly 200,000 people of Little Rock under the effects of global warming. Winter temperatures are already mild, and further warming would make them milder still — likely eliminating snowfall entirely. Because one inch of snow is roughly equivalent to ten inches of rain, the loss of snow could increase Little Rock's average annual rainfall to nearly one hundred fifty inches. Such increased precipitation could cause the Arkansas River to rise dangerously, threatening homes and businesses along its banks. The runoff from the surrounding mountains would also be greatly increased if precipitation fell entirely as rain rather than snow, arriving all at once rather than melting gradually.
"Heat impacts on plants, animals, and local ecosystems"
"Energy use, costs, and tourism under extreme heat"
Little Rock, Arkansas. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock,_Arkansas
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