Core Sample and Arctic Environment

The theory of plate tectonics states that Earth’s outer shell is divided into plates. The crust and upper mantle is broken into plates that move around on the mantle, changing in size throughout time. The lithosphere makes up the crust and upper mantle and the asthenosphere a plastic like layer beneath the lithosphere. There are three types of plate boundaries. Divergent boundaries where two plates move away from each other. The ocean widens and new crust forms at the mid-oceanic ridge. Convergent boundaries has three types of converging, moving two plates towards each other. First we have an ocean floor plate that collides with a less dense continental plate. Next an ocean floor plate collides with another ocean floor plate. Finally a continental plate collides with another continental plate. Transform boundaries were two plates slide past one another. The resulting effects of plate tectonics is landforms such as rift valleys,

So legally we do own parts of the Arctic but what about after 12 miles? Well there is another set of laws in the UNCLOS act. There is a 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone around

The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encircling the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and land masses. Although it is closely related to the Brown Bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological forte, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Though there are many theories surrounding evolution, the two stand outstanding hypotheses applying to the modification from Brown Bear to Polar Bear are Lamarck’s theory of Use and Disuse, and Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection. The intention of this paper is to compare these thesis and determine the most appropriate in

Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that attempts to explain the movements of the Earth's lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see across the globe today” (Briney). Geology defines “plate” as a large slab of solid rock, and “tectonics” is part of the Greek root word for “to build.” Together the words define how the Earth’s surface is built up of moving plates. The theory of plate tectonics dictates that individual plates, broken down into large and small sections of rock, form Earth’s lithosphere. These fragmented bodies of rock move along each other atop the Earth’s liquid lower mantle to create the plate boundaries that have shaped Earth’s landscape. Plate tectonics originated from meteorologist Alfred Wegener’s theory, developed in the early 20th century. In 1912, he realized that the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa appeared to piece together like a jigsaw puzzle. He further examined the globe and deduced that all of Earth’s continents could somehow be assembled together and proposed the idea that the continents had once been linked in a single supercontinent called Pangaea. To explain today’s position of the continents, Wegener theorized that they began to drift apart approximately 300 million years ago. This theory

Global warming persists as one of the world’s biggest issues today that is causing several problems that include the world’s severe climate and rising sea levels while possibly being the main cause as to why all of mankind could go extinct. This global crisis is known as the steady increase in the world’s average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans that are proven to be permanently changing the world’s climate (Live Science, 2014). This phenomenon is strongly evident as Earth’s temperature has also increased by 2 degrees Celsius since the last century. As a result of this, Canadian glaciers are melting at a higher rate of 2 to 3 feet than of what it was a decade before (Lerner, 2014). All astoundingly happening while the Artic Canadian permafrost has begun to melt (Davidson,2015). The state of this issue in Canada does not seem to be improving as validated through both the scientific evidence as well as the blatant and irrefutable observable evidence.

Common examples are the ice-albedo mechanism, lower tropospheric water vapor content, and ocean warming. A negative feedback mechanism is if the change in the environment leads to a process that mitigates the change. An example of a positive feedback mechanism during a time of ocean warming is the fact that oceans are able to absorb CO2 into the water surface. When the CO2 increases, it allows the atmosphere to warm which in turn most often warms the oceans. As the temperatures rise, the ocean loses its capability to draw out the CO2. A negative feedback mechanism could be that the cloud cover is increased as the temperature increases.

The seven major tectonic plates comprise mostly on continental plates and the Pacific plate. The seven major plates from greatest to least are called: the Pacific Plate stretching 103,300,000 km2, North American Plate being 75,900,000 km2, Eurasian Plate being 67,800,000 km2, African Plate stretching 61,300,000 km2, Antarctic Plate being 60,900,000 km2, Australian Plate being 47,000,000 km2, and the South American Plate being 43,600,000 km2. With different tectonic plates, there are different ways they can move: divergent, convergent, and transform. Divergent plate movement is when both plates moving away from each other, creating a canyon that has magma pushing out from the bottom, forming new ground. Convergent is usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate are moving into one another, causing the oceanic plate to subducts into the mantle. This causes move active volcanos and earthquakes. Even though all of the plates are in the lithosphere, it's only the where Earth is flexible enough to move rather than flow. The lithosphere flexes when loads of weight are placed on it or

Climate change can be defined as a significant change in the “average weather” of any given region sustained in the long-term and can be caused by Earth 's dynamic processes, external forces including variations in sunlight intensity, and also by human activities (USEPA, 2014).

Plate tectonics is a theory that the earths outer rigid layer, the lithosphere, is divided into plates that are constantly moving across the earths surface, much like ice does on the surface of a lake. When the plates pull away from each other, it creates what is known as a divergent boundary. When the plates crash into each other, it creates what is known as a convergent boundary. Finally, When the tectonic plates have hot spot, or holes that allow hot magma to rise through the crust to the surface of the earth it is called a hot spot.

The Ice Chronicles is an in-depth look at one scientists story of drilling for ice cores in arctic climates. The book also describes how the ice cores are drilled and how the ice cores are processed. The team of scientists use the ice cores and the chemical composition of them to get a better grasp of past climates and climate changes. The main drilling mentioned is the Greenland Ice Sheet Project that was overseen by many agencies and supported by multiple higher-education institutions. The project took many seasons and the teamwork of many top scientists from many top universities and research organizations. The data recovered from the thousands of meters of drilled ice contained the answers to many questions pertaining to the climate of now and the way the world climate once was. The drill was positioned at the very top of a glacier in a spot that was studied closely to make sure the project could yield the most accurate data for observation. The project took place in the early 1990’s and was completed by the 2000’s, but the data collected will help serve the world population for lifetimes ahead. The research conducted proves that humans have had some impact on the global climate, and also proves that the world goes through natural climate changes that last longer than human population has ever inhabited Earth.

Human produced carbon dioxide mainly caused by the burning of natural resources and deforestation has caused the earth’s temperature to rise (Spahni). The carbon dioxide adds to a problem known as the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect is the building up of different gases in the earth’s atmosphere causing the earth’s temperature to rise. Consequently, the key players in the greenhouse effect are as follows: water vapor 36-70%, carbon dioxide 9-26%, methane 4-9%, and ozone 3-7% (Russel). Thus, to determine the amount of CO2 and other gases that have been in the atmosphere in the past, ice core samples are taken and examined. There are ice core samples taken from as far back as 650,000 years ago (Siegenthaler). There has

Ice is one of the first indicators of global warming actually occuring and it is important for research to be done on these layers of before they disappear. The recession of glaciers and the fragmentation of ice caps has been a clear sign to many that rising temperatures are having an impact, even on our very lives.

First and foremost, plate tectonic theory deals with the idea that lithospheric plates or tectonic plates move around the crust. Tectonic plates are slabs of the Earth’s lithosphere which is a combination of the crust and uppermost mantle. The lithosphere is characterized by its rigid and cooler nature. On the other hand, the asthenosphere is hotter and more viscous and lies beneath the lithosphere. Together, the lithosphere and the asthenosphere makes up the outer layers of the Earth. These two layers are really important because the rigid pieces of the lithosphere ride on the viscosity of the asthenosphere (2). As previously mentioned, the Nepal earthquake was caused collision of these plates and it has numerous underlying factors that started

While Earth’s plates continuously create new ocean floor and continental land, but also makes it disappear. At divergent plate boundaries, the plates push together and magma rises to the surface. When this magma cools it creates new plate material. Scientists know this because the seafloor near these volcanoes is the youngest seafloor in the ocean. At convergent subduction plate boundaries the plates subduct, and one plate goes into the Earth. As this plate gets lower it slowly starts to melt and becomes magma. Scientists know that the plate is destroyed because of the Law of Conservation of Matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only recycled. As the new plate material is created,

Unlike the other three terrestrial planets, Earth’s crust, also called the Lithosphere, is broken into many large plates. These plates are constantly in motion, “floating” on top of the mantle, a layer of molten rock that lays just miles under the lithosphere. Even though the plates are constantly in motion, there is only a few centimeters of change every year. The seven major tectonic plates are known as the African Plate, the Antarctic Plate, the Eurasian Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, the North American Plate, the Pacific Plate, and the South American Plate. Along with the seven major plates, there are several smaller plates. The surface of the Earth is constantly changing due to the movement of these plates. There are four different types of plate boundaries. Plate boundaries occur where the edges of two tectonic plates interact with each other as the plates move. Divergent boundaries occur when two plates move away from one another. Oceanic crust is created at divergent boundaries when magma from the mantle reaches the surface and hardens. Convergent boundaries occur when two plates move toward each other, causing mountains and volcanoes to form. Subduction boundaries occur when an oceanic plate moves under a continental plate, resulting in violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Transform boundaries occur when two plates slide against each other. Transform boundaries result in the strongest earthquakes and fault