The Effect of Melting Glaciers

This problem could mark either the end of human civilizations or mark the beginning of the next era of human development. It would decide on our species survival, whether there will be another mass extinction like the one 65 million years ago. The question is “How might the breaking up and melting of continental ice in Greenland and the Antarctic affect Canada’s coastline?”. In the following sections, we have gathered an abundance of information from a variety of sources from which we will discuss, and analyze. We will find out how this data can help us understand the effect of melting glaciers on Canada’s coastline, as well as how and what we could do to stop or slow it down.

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

Liquefying of ice will indirectly add to global warming which will in turn create destruction in human life. Other than rising sea level, it will destroy several species of animals and ultimately will slowdown the stability of ecosystem.

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.

Sea ice has significant importance in the northern Arctic. The sea ice is extremely vital for the marine animals that live in this ecosystem. In particular the sea ice allows them to hunt, mate, and travel. The sea ice allows animals such as polar bears to hunt and search for their prey that lives underwater. It helps females and males find mates to grow their population, and lastly the sea ice allows for polar bears to travel from different locations. Another reason for the importance of sea ice is that it helps keep our planet cool particularly through the albedo effect (Kaitlin, 2016). Potential consequences of the melting of the sea ice could have devastating effects of marine animals in the north, and also for our entire planet because

Global warming doesn’t just have a major impact on the arctic but Researchers have said that the disappearing glaciers and other responses from the Arctic are increasing sea temperatures and decreasing PH levels (Pederson, 2014). This ends up effecting the diversity of species, food webs and productivities in the ocean (Pedersen, 2014). Ocean acidification in the Arctic is expected to increase in the coming years, having a large effect on many species (Agnalt et al 2013). Researchers have found that to ensure the heath of ocean organisms, the ocean must maintain the right chemical balance (cheek, 2014). The most essential and affective to maintain is sustaining a higher PH level, ensuring good internal cell functioning of many organisms (Cheek,

Artic ice melts each summer and refreezes each winter, this a natural thaw – freeze cycle, but in recent years this cycle has been greatly affected by global warming. Summer ice has been melting much more rapidly, which affects the average thickness of the ice. This also changes the ocean’s albedo drastically. It no longer reflects the sun’s energy, but rather absorbs it due to its dark, open waters. This is the beginning of a very destructive cycle: the loss of ice leads to the warming of the ocean which in turn leads to more ice loss. The thinning and eventual loss of ice can have major effects on regional temperatures. This can cause shoreline erosion which would force thousands of locals to relocate to higher ground. It would also cause great damage to natural resources and habitats.

The world is frequently changing. With an increase in technology, and populations there is a need for more resources. The competition of resources could potentially deplete the natural resources over time unless it is continually restored. This has however, become a pretty arduous task with factors such as global warming coming into play. Global warming has especially played a pretty crucial role in the rising of sea levels and even the extreme temperature changes. Over time, these changes could presumably get worse affecting the populations they entail.

This gradual warming process can ultimately melt ice caps, elevate sea levels, and affect the natural climates of many organisms.

One of the most noteworthy effects of the much-debated global climate change is the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The year-round sea ice of the past can no longer endure long enough to withstand the warming summer climates, and, as a result, the amount of old, thicker sea ice has dwindled in the last 25 years. The younger, thinner seasonal ice is now superseding these numbers, signifying a great danger to the Arctic’s sensitive ecosystem, as well as the global climate.

One effect of Global Climate Change is glaciers in the arctic

Glaciers serve as an important indicator to the changes occurring on Earth. Global warming and climate change are definitely observable changes. For more than a century, Earth’s temperature has been increasing dramatically, thus contributing to the melting of Earth’s glaciers. Melting is observed in the ice sheets of Antarctica, Greenland and non-polar glaciers found around the world (Nat Geo). A small amount of ice is stored in non-polar glaciers in comparison to ice sheets. However non-polar glaciers have had a significant effect on sea-level rise. Non-polar glaciers have higher mass-balance sensitivity than the large ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland. It is estimated about half of sea-level rise is attributable to the shrinkage of non-polar glaciers, according to glacier mass-balance data (Fujita). Some non-climatic factors that affect mass balances include oceanic circulation, sliding rates due to basal water supply and stability of ice shelves. Climatic factors include precipitation, temperature and sunlight. Recently, the spotlight has been placed on human impacts, particularly the

Sea ice is important for global climate. It separates the ocean from the atmosphere which is cold. Sea ice influence sunlight’s amount. It is essential for the human activity. In 2015, sea ice distance decreased to 4.41 million square kilometers. In addition it reached the minimum distance on September 11. The extent of sea ice increased through two seasons which was

The CoA LTER aims to better understand how high-latitude marine ecosystems will be affected by future ocean change, particularly changes associated with glacial discharge and ocean acidification. Kachemak Bay, Alaska, is the ideal high-latitude model system to conduct this research because of its 1) wealth of existing data, 2) existing infrastructure (the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory), 3) high productivity and biological diversity, 4) susceptibility to climate change (in particular, glacial melt and increasing acidification), 5) link to the open ocean environment of the Gulf of Alaska, and 6) importance to fisheries and to subsistence communities. The existing environmental and

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.