© 2009 Keyword Articles. All Rights Reserved.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
Powered by Article Dashboard
Search
Home | Environment | Causes And Organizations
Effects Of Global Warming In The Arctic
By: Gordon Petten
The Arctic and the Antarctic regions play very important roles. How? First, like the human eyes, they are the mirrors to the soul;
they are the first to manifest adverse effects like global warming. We witness these changes rather most drastically in these polar
regions. Another correspondingly direct effect of global warming is: any change in the polar conditions affects those of all the other
regions.
Once the polar ice melts, this flushes more freshwater from the region's rivers, consequently holding the ocean from circulating fast
enough, thereby causing higher sea levels. With more ice melting, more land and bodies of liquid water are exposed to the heat of
the sun. These two, which naturally absorb more heat than snow and ice, causes more warming oceans and land masses. Worst of
all is borne by the Arctic's perennially frozen soil - melting of the polar ice releases the greenhouse gases (carbon and methane)
trapped within. This is very dangerous as the Arctic permafrost contains a third of the planet's total soil carbon content.
Man-made emissions would fade in comparison is all this carbon were released. The National Center for Atmospheric Research has
also predicted that the Arctic could be ice-free starting 2040 and sea ice reduced by 80% in the next couple of decades.
Warming of the Arctic has already been felt and is now a cause for apprehension. According to the Polar Bear Specialist Group (the
absolute scientific authority on everything involving polar bears) several (5) of their populations in the world are now stamped as
declining.
Just recently, the US. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF & WS) announced that the polar bears who once roamed the territory freely
may soon be classified under the list of endangered species.