The future is projected to grow warmer and drier -- not cooler and drier like the period King's team studied. But the new work might hold warning signs for what’s to come, said geologist Steve Colman, of the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Ships carrying coal, iron, and other goods wouldn't be able to pass through their normal routes and neither would spawning fish. Evaporating water would increase the concentration of salts and change the chemistry of the lakes. Hydropower plants would run dry. "The potential exists for lake levels to fall below their outlets like they did 8,000 years ago if climate continues to get warmer and drier," Colman told Discovery News. "There's an analogy there. Whether it fits exactly or not, nobody knows." Scientists need to do more research, King added, to see how likely the scenario is and to prepare both Canada and the United States for a bracing array of economic and ecological consequences. Related Links: |
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