Essay

William Brown

Professor Kerr

EN 10123

Sept 11, 2011

Results of Global Warming

Global Warming is environmental change caused by the depletion of the ozone layer.  CO2 absorbs heat as it is sent in the air.  The heat from the sun is amplified but the CO2 and sent in all directions, warming the earth more than usual.  Global warming is something that harms everything that lives on earth, from the ice on mountains to the migrating pattern of fish. Mammals, oceans, climate and ecosystems have already been altered and continue to change for the worst. 

Besides raising and lower the earth's temperature, the CO2 that hits the ozone makes weather conditions worse.   The ratio of record highs to record lows is 2:1 (Climate).    Some summer days could be as hot as 110°F while there might be a 70°F day in the winter.  From 2000-2008 the temperature has risen 1.4°F and continue to rise (Understanding).  Even the slightest rise in temperature can cause great change in weather.  Perception has increased in most areas while decreasing in others, causing droughts to be longer harsher in combination with heat waves. Hurricanes and other storms have been developing more frequently in warmer area.  Stronger storms make sense with the chances of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane rising to 75% (Climate).  The more frequent occurrences of extreme weather are also affecting the condition of the icecaps.

With the heat warming the Polar Regions, the amount of icecaps decreased as the sea level increased.  The size of the North Pole icecap is 20% less than what it was in 1979 (Global). Glaciers, permanent ice, land-based ice sheets, and icecaps are all shrinking.  The average temperature of Antarctica has risen by 9°F in the last 50 years, ruining most of west Antarctica (Montaigne).  Once snowy pastures have turned into green-filled valleys.  It’s not hard to see the difference between how Alaska used to look 50 yrs. ago compared to how it looks now.  The ice is almost completely gone and the area looks similar to a forest instead of a winter wonderland.  With the melting of ice, there is also the rising level of the sea.  This disrupts the circulation of the water, bringing the cool waters south of the Atlantic, making northern Europe colder (Understanding).  The change in the ocean is also affecting the plants and animal that live around it.

As weather condition hardens and the sea level rises, the plants and animals have to readapt to the changing environment.  Life that lives along the sea is affected the most.  The change of the ocean’s circulation causes the fish to move from their usual swimming patterns so the animals that eat those fish have to move elsewhere to find food.  All of those animal’s predators will have to move also if they want to eat, so the whole food chain moves with the change of the water.  The environment of the Polar Regions are also affected but in a slightly different way.  The climate change in the North Pole and Antarctica is melting the ice, ruining the habitat of animals like polar bears and penguins.  Both have been struggling to survive.  In the last 30 years Adelie penguins dwindled from 32,000 to 11,000 due to their dependency of ice (Montaigne).  Only subantarctic species have thrived, migrating from distant island for the cooler climate.  Polar bears have actually become much skinnier than normal, declining from an average of 650 lbs. males to 507 lbs.  They even started to eat other polar bears because of their terrible hunger.  Polar bears are ice dependent but have had to travel (by swimming) up to 160 miles to find solid ice (Glick).  More have been found drowned, trying to find food although they are known for being strong swimmers.  Though natural selection helps some to thrive in the changing world, most animals are struggling to survive the problems caused by global warming.

            With the CO2 raising the earth’s temperature by only one or two degrees, the affect it has on the rest of life on earth is huge.  These dramatic changes will not allow life on Earth to be habitable too much longer.  The only way to stop or decline the damage being done is to limit the amount of CO2 that we as humans let into the atmosphere.  Humans are the less effected in to damage done by global warming but with the reclining amounts of life, humans will eventually be limited in their amount of natural resources.  Global Warming is a man-made problem, but can be easily fixed with a little change in their lifestyles.

Work Cited

"Causes of Global Warming." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sep 2011. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes>.

Climate Communication. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sep 2011. <http://climatecommunication.org/new/articles/extreme-weather/overview/>.

"Effects of Global Warming." National Geographic. N.p., 2007. Web. 8 Sep 2011. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/>.

Glick, Daniel . "On Thin Ice." National Wildlife Federation. N.p., 01 Dec 2006. Web. 13 Sep 2011. <http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2007/On-Thin-Ice.aspx>.

Global Warming Puts the Arctic on Thin Ice. 2005. Web.   <http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/qthinice.asp>.

Montaigne, Fen. "Signs From Earth: No Room to Run." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sep 2011. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/eco-signs/#page=1>.

"Understanding and Responding to Climate Change." Americas Climate Choices. United States   National Academy of Sciences, 2008. Web. Sept 8 2011.   <http://www.americasclimatechoices.org/climate_change_2008_final.pdf>.

Zwingle, Erla. "Meltdown: The Alps Under Pressure." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sep 2011. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/alps-meltdown/>.