Saudi Arabia is getting warmer and by the end of the century the Kingdom's temperature will be warmer by 4.2 degrees Celsius, according to Faisal M. Al-Zawad, head of Forecasting at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, Ministry of Defense and Aviation in Eastern Province. Zawad made this projection based on historical data on temperature he analyzed from 1961 to the present. “From our current daily average temperature of 25.676 degrees Celsius, the Kingdom's temperature will rise to 29.891 degrees Celsius by 2100, or an increase of 4.215 degrees Celsius,” Zawad said. Zawad used the investigation model called PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies), which was developed by the Hadley Center of British Met Office, in conducting his studies. His studies were the subject of his thesis presented to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) that earned him the Master's Degree in Environmental Science. The rises on temperature projected at the end of the century (in degree Celsius) are: Eastern Province – 4.473, Central Region – 4.271, Western Region – 4.129, Northern Region – 4.286, Southern Region – 3.897, and the Empty Quarter – 5.238. “The rise in temperature as a result of increasing emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will have significant impact on Saudi Arabia's national economy, rise in energy demand, social lifestyle of the population and production and consumption,” Zawad said. “Global warming will be felt in Saudi Arabia and can have big effects on agriculture, energy consumptions and various other aspects of daily life,” he said. __
