Arctic Climate Change

The article “Cold warriors,” Gregoire (2008) indicates that climate change leads to environmental issues and melting ice, and the scientists’ researches point out climatic issues in Canada. The author comes up with a point that everyone is responsible for protecting the environment because people around the world are bearing negative effects due to climate degradation. For example, residents in Grise Fiord and Inuit notice a huge differences, the landscape is becoming warmer, softer and unpredictable. Moreover, a greater risk of environmental pollution is caused by climate change. In addition to changes in environment, shrinking glaciers, earlier ice breakup, later freeze-up and less snow caused by warmer temperature bring double-edged effects

Humans have been interacting with the Arctic tundra for centuries now. They have used the land to explore and race, for example, the infamous race between Admunsen and Scott to the South pole. However, the human civilisation on the Arctic tundra have had their implications, both severe and light. Humans have slaughtered whales and seals since very early days, for food as well as commercial and self-profiting purposes. The most recent and paramount problem is global warming and pollution, which is harming the Arctic Tundra far more than the sealing and whaling ever did.

The Siberian tundra is basically melting away overtime, even though it has been frozen for tens of thousands of years. At such a fast rate it is speculated that it is influencing global warming. The landscape is changing fast. In the last three to four years, the underlying

Stunted Again” written by Michael Pearson, the Earth is in trouble due to the decrease in Arctic

Climate change is going to affect the arctic more dramatically than other parts of the world. A study has shown that the average temperature has risen over 2ºC from 1960-2011 ("Climate Change In the Arctic"). Just a couple weeks ago the arctic was 20ºC higher than usual. Rising temperatures are going to affect the sea ice and glaciers, vegetation and wildlife as well as infrastructure. Of course these things won't just disappear quietly, they will take many other things down with them.

Polar bears are one of the countless species who are endangered. They were one of the first animals affected by global warming and their population is heavily decreasing. Around 1980, the Arctic was as large as 8 million square kilometres. In 2011, studies show that the Arctic has reduced its size to 4.5 million square kilometers. In the future, will there be anything such as the Arctic? Scientist predict by 2040, only a fringe of ice will remain in Northeast Canada and Northern Greenland. This is known as the Last Ice Area. This matter is mostly taking part in Canada, since; Canada holds more than half the world’s polar bear population. Other affected countries include the U.S. (Alaska), Greenland,

The increasing global temperatures have caused many problems in Arctic ecosystems. The increasing warmth has caused ice caps to melt, and permafrost to thaw, causing shifts in the ecosystems around them. 1According to Harris (2005) “Permafrost is soil, rock or sediment that is frozen for more than two consecutive years. In areas not overlain by ice, it exists beneath a layer of soil, rock or sediment, which freezes and thaws annually and is called the "active layer".” (p. 17). While the melting of ice may not seem like a big issue at first glance, its effects are truly catastrophic. Many professionals in this field, such as Houghton (2009) have said 2“Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic, with the continuing retreat of

Climate itself adjusts time to time however recently it’s been noted that it’s been getting warmer more rapidly than expected, which in turn has melted ice sheets in the artic.The change the Artic will have an impact on the earth.

The world warmed by about 0.7°C in the 20th century. Every year in this century has been warmer than all but one in the last century (1998). If carbon-dioxide levels were magically to stabilize where they are now (almost 390 parts per million, 40% more than before the industrial revolution) the world would probably warm by a further half a degree or so as the ocean, which is slow to change its temperature, caught up. But CO2 levels continue to rise. All this affect the ice pack in the Arctic. As temperature rises, ice melts. This causes many problems.

The latest survey conducted by the US Forest Service shows that as many as 97% of the animals of the Arctic could be affected as a result of the observed warming. The climate change may occur faster in the Arctic region. Scientists have developed computer models to predict changes in the environment and their impact on the 162 species of birds and 39 species of mammals in the Arctic.

While it may only be happening in Alaska, it isn't just affecting that state. Global warming is a worldwide problem, and with Alaska melting faster than usual, the outcome isn't going to be good for some other states. Because Alaska is all ice, when it melts it turns into water, and that water runs into the ocean, causing the sea levels to rise. This is sending more water down towards states bordering the coast, like California, causing them to slowly but surely be submerged. But not only the water is affecting other places; “weather changes in the Arctic trigger changes in the jet stream and reverberate down south … that has brought sub-freezing temperatures ti great expanses of North America” The climate change is also causing more greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. “the thawing permafrost will unleash large amounts of trapped greenhouse gases and speed up worldwide warming.” So the melting of Alaska is causing more global warming to occur, and ultimately melting it even more.The increase in climate is also affecting the wildlife, both living and nonliving things. New species of plants and bugs are being introduced, affecting the original wild life there, while the animals that rely on cold temperatures for survival are being forced to adapt to the changing environment. It is crucial to the survival of Alaska that global warming is put to as much of a stop as possible, otherwise, the fate of the rest of the world might be endangered by the large amount of water that Alaska will melt

The first effect that global warming is having on Alaska regards coasts and oceans. In the northern summer, the sea ice is decreasing faster than previously recorded and it is foreseen to melt before mid-century (Chapin, F.S 2014). Solid ice is disappearing as there are no longer massive icebergs during fall and winter,

Kolbert provides compelling evidence of Global Warming in the Arctic from her hands-on experience accompanying scientists in the field. From the storm surges that threaten the Alaskan village of Sarichef to the warming (and even melting!) permafrost, the evidence all point to the irrefutable fact that the planet is warming up extraordinarily fast. In fact, the Keeling Curve gives us a rather explicit visualization of how greenhouse gases levels (CO2, in particular) are rising at unprecedented rates.

The melting ice caps are having a dramatic affect on the polar regions of the earth. For example, the average temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast than the rest of the world (nrdc.org). The once prominent ice is now melting at a dramatic speed, which is affecting native people, wildlife, and plants. When the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf splintered, the freshwater lake that it surrounded drained into the ocean, along with the ecosystem that inhabited it. Polar bears, whales, walrus and seals are changing their feeding and migration patterns, making it harder for native people to hunt them (nrdc.org). Because of the flooding, entire villages will be uprooted order to avoid being swamped. Also, the Arctic coastlines are beginning to move as well. The melting ice caps are threatening the native peoples’ cultural identity and their very survival. Ice-dependant animals, such as walruses and ring seals will be greatly affected by the melting ice caps (treehugger.com). They have fewer places to rest on, as well as fewer places to hunt. If the ice caps keep melting, their lives will become in great danger. The melting ice caps are not only affecting the Polar Regions, but they are also affecting the rest of the world as well in the form of rising ocean levels.

One of the effects of global warming is the polar ice caps’ melting. Scientists have been researching and examining the polar ice caps for a long time and they have come to the conclusion that the thin ice sheets are slowly wasting away. They have also found out that Greenland’s glaciers are getting smaller and smaller. Places around the globe that use to be covered in ice and snow are now showing more green terrain as the years go on and as the winter months grow warmer. The polar ice caps are melting more and more due to higher global temperatures. This is really bad because the ice caps “reflect and help regulate the Earth’s temperatures.”