EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Subtitle
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
CHANGES IN SEA ICE( ARCTIC SEA ICE)
• The Arctic sea ice has declined dramatically since about 1975.
The main reason being global warming. On 03 February 2016,
the ice recorded was said to be the lowest recorded volume on
record; this says that sea ice volume is decreasing.
• The overall volume, thickness and extent have been declining
for decades. Moreover, the time the ice remains is changing.
The oldest and thickest ice in the Artic has declined by 95%
ARTIC SEA ICE GRAPH SHOWING EXTENT
IMPACTS OF SEA ICE DECLINE
• As the sea ice receded, the potential for wave formation
increased. In 2012, five-metre waves were recorded in the
Beaufort sea. These waves helped break the ice, thus
establishing a positive feedback loop of disappearing sea ice
and wave formation. Under normal conditions, sea ice
prevents the formation of waves.
• Another impact of the sea ice decline is that there are increased
methane emissions from tundra( a cold region of treeless level or
rolling ground). Less sea ice leads to more absorbed sunlight and
heat, therefore, stimulating the production of methane by
microorganisms in the permafrost soils.
• Methane is an air pollutant which contributes to more than half
of the growth to tropospheric ozone. The concentration of
methane in the atmosphere is currently around two and half
times greater than the pre-industrial levels.
• Melting ice has adversely affected polar bears, which have less
time to hunt seal pups and must spend more time on land.
Their diets have become less nutritious and there are reports
of reduced body size and decreased reproductive success.
• The decline on Arctic sea ice has also been linked with wet
summers in northern Europe, as a result of weakened jet
stream.