Increasing Ocean Acidification In The Arctic

Environmental change in the Arctic has been a subject of recent interest within the discourse of global warming, climate change, and indigenous rights; however, scholars have yet to examine the importance of 20th century racial, cultural, and environmental interactions within Northern Canada. Specifically, the Northern areas of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba provide interesting and important issues that are critical to current discussions of global warming, climate change, and water rights and quality because of their location to the Hudson Bay and the intertwined environmental experience. Unlike other areas of Northern Canada, areas in Northern Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario are subject to multiple political systems (i.e. provincial, federal,

As important as it is, Arctic coastal sea ice plays a vital role in dynamics of the coastline, covers stretches of open water which serve as important biological habitats, and serves as a platform for a broad range of activities by residents and industries (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Sea ice is also important because it is used as a platform for harvesting seals and whales in spring, transport of personnel and supplies to camps, and as a network of trails (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Dangerous effects of climate change include “ice breakouts” which are when large chunks of ice that whalers are using as working areas break off of the main ice blocks and take whaling camps out to sea (Druckenmiller et al.,

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

The Arctic formally encompasses all of the Earth’s land and ocean areas north of the Arctic Circle, but the Arctic region describes a larger area with linked ecosystems and similar ecological challenges (Gale Encyclopedia). The arctic tundra has one of the coldest and longest winters and a very short summer, but event then there is only a brief period of time where the sun shines and the temperatures are mild. The arctic tundra is home to few different species and organisms because the temperatures cause issues for organisms that need to maintain a certain body temperature. A few of the organisms in the Arctic tundra are penguins, Polar bears, fox, and different species of birds, as well as caribou, wolves, and grizzly bears. The Arctic Tundra forces many species to fight for survival and adapt to the environment but these adaptations cause changes to the environment and the other species living in it.

Climate change is the increase in temperature of the Earth and its atmosphere. This has a huge effect on the world including Canadian ecosystem. Humans have added to this effect due to their irresponsible use of fossil fuels and polluting the environment increasing the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere. One of the results of climate change is ocean acidification, this occurs from the ocean absorbing the carbon from the atmosphere reacting with the water and forming carbonic acid. There are many different experiments done by multiple scientist exploring the effect that ocean acidification has on the environment and the species that live in it, specifically the predatory prey cycle. There was a study done by Elise A. Keppel et al.

The change the Artic will have an impact on the earth. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the world on average, and melting glaciers and land-based ice sheets are contributing to rising sea levels. Rising ocean temperatures are affecting ocean ecosystems. In turn having an affect on the communities and economies that depend on them. The changing Arctic could lead to global changes in ocean-based food security that will place additional burdens on economies, societies, and institutions around the world.

Organisms can live in harsh environments without being prone to danger. The Arctic includes the world's smallest ocean being the Arctic Ocean, as well the world’s largest island, Greenland. In regards to the Arctic, its ocean is covered in floating sea ice throughout the year. The climate of the Arctic varies a lot during the seasonal changes. In the months in the winter season, the sun doesn’t pass the horizon in the Northern Arctic, which in result the temperature significantly be depleted in some areas to -60 degrees Celsius, but to differentiate, during the warmer months of summer, temperatures can cause some areas of the Arctic to melt, due to temperature reaching of 20 degrees Celsius. In the Arctic, the Environmental conditions vary

Altogether, the author effectively shows the damages that climate change causes on the Arctic Ocean. This includes changes in the water’s components, the loss of marine life, and rising oceans. The author is also able to show how imminent these problems are today, and that this is not just a topic for the future. This topic is important because the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases is hurting the ice caps exponentially, which will cause a ripple effect of harmful

Over the past couple of years, no other issue has received more attention in the marine community than ocean acidification. Marine biologists have been constantly working towards solving this issue and are hoping to see improvement’s very soon. Ocean acidification refers to the relentless growth in acidity of the Earth’s oceans. This on-going acidity has attributed to an important element; a constant rise of carbon dioxide levels in the Earth. The number one reason this issue is still happening is because of burning fossil fuels. In addition to burning fossil fuels, it has come to a point where it has enlarged a large amount of carbon dioxide by releasing it into the atmosphere. Chemists have taken this issue into attention that carbon enters the ocean and combines with seawater to fallout acid, which boosts the level of acidity. This process is known as ocean acidification.

The problem is that the arctic melt has caused global warming and climate change. In the Arctic, the ice is melting and the air is warming. Unfortunately, the Arctic ocean is taking in a lot of sunlight which causes it to become even warmer. Ice and snow cover take up a smaller space and used to be only present for under a year, but now that number is even less. As this happens, permafrost warms. As the years go on, mountain glaciers, sea ice, and the Greenland ice sheet melt faster and faster. Throughout this century, the Arctic ocean will have a limited amount of ice or will have no ice at all. Climate change is to blame for the arctic melt.

Nevertheless, it is important to mention the effects global warming has had on the Artic. Among these effects, we can mention the rising temperatures that result in the loss of sea ice and the melting of the ice sheet. Also, the negative impact it has on tundra vegetation’s composition that as a consequence causes the loss of the Arctic’s fauna’s

Since the Industrial Revolution greenhouse gas emissions have increased drastically. “ExxonMobil, the world's biggest oil company, knew as early as 1981 of climate change—seven years before it became a public issue” (Goldenberg 1). For goodness sakes, Exxon even spent millions of dollars for 27 years to promote climate denial. Later, when other scientists discovered that this really was harmful to the environment, they still sat idly by since the ocean was absorbing 25% of the gasses and reducing the threat. Boy, it really did come back to bite us in the bum.

Digman (2011) concludes that melting permafrost will release a large volume of carbon to the sea water; this will directly impact Arctic’s fauna and flora. As a result, animal’s distribution, range and diversity will drastically change that some animal species may face extinction (Isted, 2009). However, regardless of this situation, economic activities are increasing due to global warming (Isted, 2009) because some countries consider the Arctic’s melting ice an development opportunity (Smith, 2010). Therefore, Crawford et al. (2008) argue that “changing climate is making Arctic sovereignty a more pressing and consequential issue” and strategies are needed for the Arctic’s environmental

Serge M. Garcia and Andrew A. Rosenberg expect that global warming will affect the “availability, stability, access and utilization of food supplies” (2010). This will have important consequences for an already constricted system. Rising water levels will affect the habitat of ocean and land dwellers. The availability of fish will be altered as species acclimated towards warmer water migrate towards the poles, due to increasing water temperature (Garcia and Rosenberg, 2010). Ocean acidification is the foremost critical effect of global warming on the oceans. It results from the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the oceans, which lowers the pH of the water. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US states that there has been about a 30% increase in ocean acidity since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Moreover, current CO2 output levels would lead to a 150% increase in ocean acidity by the end of this century (NOAA). Increased ocean acidity will have drastic effects on shellfish and coral, due to their calcium based nature (NOAA). Reduced quantities of shellfish and coral will further alter presently dwindling habitats and amplify the loss of biodiversity. Garcia and Rosenberg explain that temperature changes will greatly affect fish’s metabolism, growth, and reproduction because they are cold-blooded. This will further influence the availability of food and the

SHOULD MODERN OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN BE AN INCENTIVE FOR INCREASED CARBON REDUCTION EFFORTS?