Ways Climate Change Is Affecting The Way We Paddle

Science suggests the worst effects of climate change are yet to come if humans don’t make some profound changes. While there is still some hope to start turning things around, there are already very real ways Earth’s climate crisis is changing how people interact with the outside world. Climate change is even starting to change how we paddle.

Some ways that climate change is impacting the paddling experience include altered currents, unpredictable winds, and more severe weather. Increased and extreme flash flooding is creating deadly conditions on many rivers, and drought can cause paddling locations to disappear. Ecosystems are changing, and it’s becoming difficult to predict jellyfish spawnings and annual migrations. Higher summer temperatures also increase the risk of many heat-related illnesses.

It’s a sad reality that many effects of a warming planet are already altering the way people live. While there is a lot humans can do to stop and help reverse these detrimental changes to the globe, it’s essential to know the dangerous new realities. Below is a list of all the ways climate change is already affecting how we paddle.

10 Ways Climate Change Is Altering The Paddling Experience

1. Changing Water Levels

One of the most notable impacts of global warming on the planet is rising water levels. With ice caps melting, sea levels are rising along Earth's coasts. This change is more noticeable in some areas than others. Low-lying regions, including flat islands and atolls, are particularly vulnerable.

Higher seas mean fewer and narrower beaches. This also means many launch locations and rest points along paddling routes are disappearing. Changing water levels also impacts rivers and lakes. There is a much higher risk of flooding and erosion in rivers and lakes, especially those fed by glaciers and melting snow and ice.

2. Adjusting Current Speeds And Predictability

Changing water levels and water distribution are also having a profound impact on currents. Major currents are shifting, altering how heat is distributed across oceans and waterways. It is also impacting local currents.

If you have come to depend on regular currents, you must know that reliable currents are changing. Once calm currents might be much stronger now, especially as the seasons change. Reliably strong currents may be weaker. Don’t depend on historical current information, and instead research up-to-date conditions to ensure you have accurate information on currents.

3. More Unpredictable Weather

Every seasoned paddler knows how important it is to check the weather before paddling. Weather conditions are always unpredictable, especially on the water. Unfortunately, climate change is making the weather less predictable than ever.

In some regions, it’s becoming increasingly complex to predict even just a few hours in the future. You must carry a device connected to the internet and use a reliable weather app to show detailed radar and wind forecasts. More than ever, one must be diligent in staying up to date with the weather.

4. Frequent Flash Floods Create Deadly Conditions

Along with unpredictable and extreme weather comes an increased risk of flash flooding. A flash flood can turn a lazy river into a raging deathtrap in less than an hour. While flash floods have always occurred, they are now occurring more frequently than before.

In fact, flash floods are up to three times as likely as they once were, and are also usually more severe than they once were. Therefore, any time you see a flash flood warning, you must take all necessary precautions, even if you have never had issues in the past.

5. Changed Ecosystems

Climate change isn’t only making paddling more dangerous. It is also altering what you see in and outside the water while paddling. The ocean is changing rapidly. Temperatures are warming, becoming more acidic, and deoxygenating in some places.

Coral is bleaching, and some plants and animals that thrived in some areas are disappearing. The result is you may no longer notice specific flora and fauna in paddling locations you know intimately, and you may notice new animals appearing as they start heading towards more reliably cooler waters they are used to.

6. Adjusted Migrations And Spawnings

Paddlers in marine regions often must be aware of migration and spawning periods. Jellyfish season, for example, is something every paddler should be aware of. Unfortunately, changing water temperatures and currents are altering these once-predictable migrations and spawning periods.

Don’t rely on old data when you are trying to learn about animal migrations, plankton prevalence, and jellyfish seasons. Always seek the latest information to avoid disappointment.

7. Increased Risk Of Heat-Related Illnesses

Water temperatures aren’t alone in their trending rise. Air temperatures are also increasing, with brutal summer heat waves becoming more common. Year after year, heat records are shattered, and some heat waves can last a week or longer.

Higher summer temperatures increase the risk of all sorts of heat-related ilnesses. Some of these illnesses, including heat stroke, can be life-threatening. Therefore, you must do all you can to prevent overheating while paddling on warm days.

8. Drought Can Make Paddling Locations Disappear

While some regions see flooding and higher water levels, climate change is causing drought in other parts of the world. Many lakes and rivers are drying up, especially as humans divert water to supply municipalities.

Some rivers and lakes are shrinking so dramatically that it’s becoming difficult, or even impossible, to paddle in them. Always research water levels at a paddling location before you head to the launch point.

9. Wildfires Can Close Off Entire Paddling Regions

Anyone who has watched the news in the last few years has seen the devastation that wildfires can cause in a region. Climate change is causing intense and more frequent wildfires worldwide.

A wildfire can make the air dangerous for hundreds of miles, which can render some of your favorite woodland paddling locations unsafe. After a fire rages through a forest, your paddling location may be unrecognizable, and it will likely take many years to recover from a significant fire.

10. Higher Risk Of Strong Winds

Wind can turn a blissful day on the water into a dangerous situation in less than an hour. Paddling in the wind can be tricky, and even life-threatening in some cases. While global warming isn’t necessarily making the world a windier place, it is making wind far less predictable.

Therefore, there is a higher likelihood that wind gusts can appear earlier and stronger than anticipated, seemingly out of nowhere. Using a wind-specific weather app is a great way to keep an eye on potentially dangerous wind.