Global Warming in the Arctic by Utsa Narayana

What is global warming?

Have you ever heard the news going on and on about global warming? Ever wondered what global warming is? If you have then you have stumbled upon the right feature article!

Global warming is the increase of the Earth’s average surface temperature. Global warming happens due to greenhouse gasses and their effects. Greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide, are caused by deforestation. Some examples of global warming are-

·        The earth’s temperature rising by 8 degrees Celsius

·        Also the sea levels rising all over the world

·        Another example is that the northern hemisphere is becoming warmer

The main effect of global warming in the arctic is on the sea levels which are rising because of the melting of the glaciers. Over the last 100 years the water has rose up to 8 inches more! You may think that 8 inches is less but it is actually a lot!

Global warming in the arctic

Did you know that global warming in the arctic effects the whole world?

The arctic region is the area around the North Pole. The area closer to the poles is covered in snow and ice, but the area further from the pole is covered in coniferous forests. It between there is a wide range of tundra (mostly treeless land) the temperatures drop so low that the ground is actually frozen; this is called permafrost or permanently frozen ground. In the summer the upper 30 cm (or less) actually unfreeze.

However due to global warming the permafrost melts more causing an imbalance in the climate few other effects of global warming are-

·        The average temperature in the arctic is expected to rise by 3 degrees to 7 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature difference happening in the winter season.

·        The arctic land which is covered by snow is expected to decrease by 10%

These expectations and much more are being predicted by scientists. Although there can be a lot of unexpected and unwanted changes.

Global warming affecting the polar animal

If you are an animal lover then you must know about the suffering the poor animals have to go through because of the global warming. From Polar bears to Arctic foxes they may all be different but global warming affects them all. There are a lot of animals in the Arctic when compared to the Antarctic.

·        Ermine	·        Arctic fox	·        Polar bear
·        Sea otter	·        Wolverine	·        Snowy owl
·        Orca	·        Ringed seal	·        Walrus

All these animals live in the Arctic region.

Polar bears

Sea ice is crucial for Polar bears because they catch their prey (seals) on this ice as seals ream around close to the ice. Although because of global warming the sea ice melts resulting in difficulty for Polar bears and their extinction.

Arctic fox

Similar to the Polar bears when catching their prey, the Tundra region is vital for Arctic foxes. The warming of the Tundra makes it hard for the fox to catch its prey as they too are shrinking in number. This warming also brings a rival fox northwards – the Red fox which is found in Canada. This means that the 2 species will have to share the food.

People causing global warming

Ever gone to a fancy Italian restaurant and got served mineral water? Mineral water or water from the glaciers is one of the causes of global warming. Caused by humans!!

As you may have noticed all global warming is caused by humans. It is mostly caused by the burning of coal, oil, gas. Deforestation is another cause. It releases a large amount of carbon dioxide which plants and trees use to grow. So if we cut down all the trees who will absorb the massive amount of carbon dioxide? 

Some major oil companies are-

·        Chevron         

·        Exon

·        BP

·        Royal Duch Shell      

Some major coal companies are-

·        British Coal Corp

·        Peabody Energy

·        BHP Bilton

Ways to stop global warming

Have you ever heard of the organization Greenpeace? They help stop global warming but you can do your bit too.

There are a lot of different types of organizations like Greenpeace, 350.org and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Greenpeace examines the different places of our world and then tells the government to act on their reports. Greenpeace is holding a lot of events like the Save the heart of the rainforest petition and the Save the arctic program. For more information visit greenpeace.org.

Saving the arctic may sound hard but here are a few things you can do

·        Plant trees- BIG, fresh, lush trees

·        Switch off the lights and fans- why not open the windows instead.

·        Switch off all electronic products which are not being used- in short SAVE ELECTICITY!!!

·        Don’t waste water- every drop counts.

Glossary

1.     Coniferous – Any of an order of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs having usually needle shaped or scalelike leaves and including forms with true cones and others with an arillate fruit.

2.     Crucial – of great importance

3.     Deforestation – clearing of trees? Transforming a forest into a cleared land

4.     Extinction – the state of process of being or becoming extinct

5.     Greenhouse gasses – a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation

6.     Petition – A formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to the authority in respect of a particular cause.

7.      Species – a group of living organisms of similarity

8.     Vital – essential