Climate change in Oklahoma

Köppen climate types in Oklahoma showing most of the state to now be humid subtropical.
Regions of the High Plains Aquifer System where the water level has declined in the period 1980-1995 are shown in yellow and red.

Climate change in Oklahoma encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has noted: "In the coming decades, Oklahoma will become warmer, and both floods and droughts may be more severe. Most of Oklahoma did not become warmer during the last 50 to 100 years. But soils have become drier, annual rainfall has increased, and more rain occurs in heavy downpours. In the coming decades, summers are likely to be increasingly hot and dry, which will reduce the productivity of farms and ranches, change parts of the landscape, and possibly harm human health".[1]

It has also been noted that Oklahoma's grasslands "are a vital component in nature's fight against climate change" due to their capacity to capture and store carbon.[2]

  1. ^ "What Climate Change Means for Oklahoma" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. August 2016.
  2. ^ Sherriff, Lucy (November 30, 2019). "Saving Oklahoma's prairies, a vital weapon against climate change". MSNBC.