Climate Change: Saving Coral In The Florida Keys
Climate Change
Unless you live under a rock, you will have noticed what’s happening around the human race due to global warming and climate modification. It is not only affecting us humans, it is also affecting our vegetation, our animals, and our oceans. I recently watched a video by National Geographic about the precious coral reefs in the Florida Keys and it talked about how the coral reefs cannot keep up with the rising sea level, so eventually they will all just die (“Fighting to Save Coral in the Florida Keys”). Additionally this will lead to habitat loss and then species dying off. If this scenario belonged to one area it would be tragic but climate change is disrupting habitats and killing off dependent mintage humanity worldwide. …show more content…
As temperatures continue to rise as a result of global warming, sea levels are increasing, and it is having a negative impact on the surrounding. Those two things alone already affect millions of species of animals all over the world. The ice from the Artic is melting so polar bears are losing their hunting ground. Sea level has increased about 8in. over the past century (“Global Warming is Happening Now). Also, they say that coastal habitats are facing major changes as low-lying areas are swamped with saltwater. This paper will evaluate how polar bears from the Artic, animals from the ocean, and animals from the Rainforest are being threatened by climate change and how us as humans are contributing to it. Since global warming is affecting the entire world, here is some background about how it all started and what’s going on now. The Earth is constantly changing. According to NASA, just in the last 650,000 there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat (“Climate Change: How do we know?”) The warming trend is significant because it is very likely human-induced. It is growing at a rate that unknown in the past 1,300 years. Due to technological advances, we are able to use Earth-orbiting satellites and other technology to see what is actually going on. Ice cores from Greenland and other places have shown that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. The ice cores also show that large changes in climate have happened very quickly in tens of years. (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”)
Vegetation will be affected by the climate change because it will cause the growing season to lengthen.
It has been increasing since the 1980’s, but mainly around the western US. In the future, if heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases in the lengths of the frost-free and growing season are projected to increase in the US by the end of the century. The largest increases are projected for the western US in places with high elevation and coastal areas (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”). The way climate change is affecting the wildlife in the different regions of our world is that melting Artic ice removes hunting ground for the polar bears, therefore, lack of food for them. Another way that the climate change is affecting the worlds’ wildlife is that rising ocean temperatures have caused coral bleaching, leading to ecosystems collapsing, which carry huge numbers of fish (“Coral Reefs Bleaching to Death.”). We also have our rainforests to worry about. As a result of climate change, it is causing the rainforest to dry out. Not only is it drying out, there is also deforestation going on which is causing habitat …show more content…
destruction. There are many animals in the Artic being affected by global warming, but one specific animal is the polar bear. As much as we would like to believe that the polar bear is the cute, white, fuzzy animal that lives safe and happily, it is not true and tis is a reality that we need to accept. Every day the polar bear struggles just to stay alive. They have a lack of food, their shelter is being destroyed, and so on.
Firstly, the primary challenge that polar bears face id the sea ice in the Artic melting. Satellite data shows that September Artic sea ice has decreased by 12% since the late 1970’s (“Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline”). Sea ice is classified by age. The two types are “new ice” and “multi-year”. Multi-year ice is ice that has survived many summer melting seasons and it is typically between 6 to 12 feet thick, while new ice is very shallow. A study was published in 2007 that measured the amount of multi-year ice in the Artic. They studied the ice in 1987 and observed that 57% of the ice was at least 5 years old, and 25% of the ice was at least 9 years old. They studied the ice in the Artic again in 2007 and observed that only 7% of the ice was at least 5 years old and all the ice that was 9 years old had vanished. From that study, scientists conducted that sea ice thickness has decreased a lot since the beginning of the satellite era (“Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline”). With the sea ice decreasing, this means fewer hunting grounds for polar bears. According to www.wwf.com, the southern range of polar bears, like the polar bears in the Hudson Bay, sea ice is melting earlier in the spring and forming late in the fall. The time that polar bears have on the sea ice is the best because hunting for seals and fish are easy. Since there is less ice during their hunting season the time that polar bears have to store energy for the warm season is becoming less and less. That means that their time without food is longer which deteriorates the body condition of the polar bear. This is very serious for female polar bears that are pregnant or nursing young. For example, in the Hudson Bay, it is the main cause of death for cubs because there is a lack of food and lack of fat on their mothers. (“Impact of Climate Change on Polar Bears”)
Another problem affecting the polar bears in the Artic is that many gas and oil business are moving up there. This harms polar bears in many ways. Oil spills are harming the waters that the polar bears hunt and swim. When the oil gets on the furs, it reduces the insulating effect on the polar bears fur. This calls for more caloric intake, but with the sea ice melting, hunting for food is a challenge. The oil is also infesting the polar bears prey. Since the polar bears don’t know that they are eating food with oil on it, they still eat it. This can cause liver and kidney damage. Polar bears homes are also being destroyed. Since oil and gas companies are moving up into the Artic, oils spills are going straight into the water and onto the sea ice. (“Threats to Polar Bears”)
Just like polar bears, coral reefs are also being affected.
Coral reefs are home to many fishes and plants. Because of global warming, 16% of the world’s coral reefs were wiped out in one year alone (“Global Warming and Coral Reefs”). Ocean temperatures have also risen by 1.3 ° Fahrenheit since the last 19th century (Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs). The increasing carbon dioxide levels lead to coral bleaching. This occurs when coral responds to the stress of the temperature warming. This expels the colorful algae that live within most of the coral dies, so the entire ecosystem disappears. Warmer waters are expected to increase the chance of coral diseases such as black band disease, white plague, and white pox. All of the diseases lead to the killing of coral reefs and the entire ecosystem is supports.
Another problem with global warming that is damages coral reefs is ocean acidification. The ocean absorbs one-third of the atmosphere’s excess carbon dioxide causing a more acidic ocean (Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs). In order of coral reefs to grow, it needs to produce limestone at a faster rate than the reef being eroded and ocean acidification slows the rate at which coral reefs produce limestone. All this causes coral skeleton to grow
slower.
An increase in extreme weather events caused by global warming are also destroying the oceans coral reefs. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by many cyclones and severe storms. Reef recovery from severe storms like cyclone Hamish and Cyclone Yasi, is very slow. The reason for them growing so slow is because fewer corals survive to recolonize in affected areas. An increase in severe storms could cause reef structures to degrade, which are already weak by coral bleaching and ocean acidification (“Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reefs”). The Earth’s waters are not the only place being affected by climate change. The Amazon is also being greatly affected.
The Amazon is another part of our Earth being affected by global warming. One major role in maintaining the global and regional climate is the hydrological engine. According to www.wwf.com, the water released by plants into the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration influence the world climate and the circulation of ocean currents. Scientists are noticing that the hydrological engine is starting to fail. There are two factors that are causing this, ENSO and deforestation. The one factor that is most affecting the animals in the Amazon is deforestation.
The harpy eagle is one of the most majestic Amazon birds. It is over a meter tall and has a wingspan of 2 m (“Welcome to the world’s mega bird park”). The harpy eagle feeds on monkeys, sloths, and smaller birds. They spend a lot of their time perched on tree branches and listening for their prey. Though, because of deforestation the population of harpy eagles is declining. Deforestation is taking away their only habitat. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the harpy eagle as Near Threatened.
Deforestation may not be a big deal looking from the outside in, but it is in fact a big deal. We the people are the cause of this abstract type of pollution. We are taking away from the environment by changing the ecosystem that many animals inhabit. What is deforestation? Well it is the process in which parts of the forest – trees to be exact – are cut, burned, or removed to make commercial use for the new cleared land. This decreases the amount of oxygen being put into the air, which affects many animals. One of the almost 3,500 types of animals is the harpy eagle.
We are starting to see that the waste produced by humans is affecting more environments. We are seeing this in reefs, different types of forest, and even the artic. With this comes the destruction of homes to a wide array of wildlife. When most people think of global warming, they think of large ice caps melting away, but in reality, we are seeing this in our backyards and in other areas occupied by both animals and humans.
When you think of the amount of waste released into the atmosphere by humans and compare it to the decreasing population of some species, you can see a direct correlation. This is one of the many ways we as humans must change our everyday lives to fit the needs of the rest of the world’s inhabitant.
We were not the first species on Earth but yet we act like we are the only ones here. Organisms like polar bears, coral reefs, and the harpy eagle are all seeing the affects of global warming, which are caused by our minimal efforts to take care of the world we live in. Just remember the next time you add more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; you may not see the direct affects of that, but something or someone will.
Unless you live under a rock, you will have noticed what’s happening around the human race due to global warming and climate modification. It is not only affecting us humans, it is also affecting our vegetation, our animals, and our oceans. I recently watched a video by National Geographic about the precious coral reefs in the Florida Keys and it talked about how the coral reefs cannot keep up with the rising sea level, so eventually they will all just die (“Fighting to Save Coral in the Florida Keys”). Additionally this will lead to habitat loss and then species dying off. If this scenario belonged to one area it would be tragic but climate change is disrupting habitats and killing off dependent mintage humanity worldwide. …show more content…
As temperatures continue to rise as a result of global warming, sea levels are increasing, and it is having a negative impact on the surrounding. Those two things alone already affect millions of species of animals all over the world. The ice from the Artic is melting so polar bears are losing their hunting ground. Sea level has increased about 8in. over the past century (“Global Warming is Happening Now). Also, they say that coastal habitats are facing major changes as low-lying areas are swamped with saltwater. This paper will evaluate how polar bears from the Artic, animals from the ocean, and animals from the Rainforest are being threatened by climate change and how us as humans are contributing to it. Since global warming is affecting the entire world, here is some background about how it all started and what’s going on now. The Earth is constantly changing. According to NASA, just in the last 650,000 there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat (“Climate Change: How do we know?”) The warming trend is significant because it is very likely human-induced. It is growing at a rate that unknown in the past 1,300 years. Due to technological advances, we are able to use Earth-orbiting satellites and other technology to see what is actually going on. Ice cores from Greenland and other places have shown that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. The ice cores also show that large changes in climate have happened very quickly in tens of years. (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”)
Vegetation will be affected by the climate change because it will cause the growing season to lengthen.
It has been increasing since the 1980’s, but mainly around the western US. In the future, if heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases in the lengths of the frost-free and growing season are projected to increase in the US by the end of the century. The largest increases are projected for the western US in places with high elevation and coastal areas (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”). The way climate change is affecting the wildlife in the different regions of our world is that melting Artic ice removes hunting ground for the polar bears, therefore, lack of food for them. Another way that the climate change is affecting the worlds’ wildlife is that rising ocean temperatures have caused coral bleaching, leading to ecosystems collapsing, which carry huge numbers of fish (“Coral Reefs Bleaching to Death.”). We also have our rainforests to worry about. As a result of climate change, it is causing the rainforest to dry out. Not only is it drying out, there is also deforestation going on which is causing habitat …show more content…
destruction. There are many animals in the Artic being affected by global warming, but one specific animal is the polar bear. As much as we would like to believe that the polar bear is the cute, white, fuzzy animal that lives safe and happily, it is not true and tis is a reality that we need to accept. Every day the polar bear struggles just to stay alive. They have a lack of food, their shelter is being destroyed, and so on.
Firstly, the primary challenge that polar bears face id the sea ice in the Artic melting. Satellite data shows that September Artic sea ice has decreased by 12% since the late 1970’s (“Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline”). Sea ice is classified by age. The two types are “new ice” and “multi-year”. Multi-year ice is ice that has survived many summer melting seasons and it is typically between 6 to 12 feet thick, while new ice is very shallow. A study was published in 2007 that measured the amount of multi-year ice in the Artic. They studied the ice in 1987 and observed that 57% of the ice was at least 5 years old, and 25% of the ice was at least 9 years old. They studied the ice in the Artic again in 2007 and observed that only 7% of the ice was at least 5 years old and all the ice that was 9 years old had vanished. From that study, scientists conducted that sea ice thickness has decreased a lot since the beginning of the satellite era (“Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline”). With the sea ice decreasing, this means fewer hunting grounds for polar bears. According to www.wwf.com, the southern range of polar bears, like the polar bears in the Hudson Bay, sea ice is melting earlier in the spring and forming late in the fall. The time that polar bears have on the sea ice is the best because hunting for seals and fish are easy. Since there is less ice during their hunting season the time that polar bears have to store energy for the warm season is becoming less and less. That means that their time without food is longer which deteriorates the body condition of the polar bear. This is very serious for female polar bears that are pregnant or nursing young. For example, in the Hudson Bay, it is the main cause of death for cubs because there is a lack of food and lack of fat on their mothers. (“Impact of Climate Change on Polar Bears”)
Another problem affecting the polar bears in the Artic is that many gas and oil business are moving up there. This harms polar bears in many ways. Oil spills are harming the waters that the polar bears hunt and swim. When the oil gets on the furs, it reduces the insulating effect on the polar bears fur. This calls for more caloric intake, but with the sea ice melting, hunting for food is a challenge. The oil is also infesting the polar bears prey. Since the polar bears don’t know that they are eating food with oil on it, they still eat it. This can cause liver and kidney damage. Polar bears homes are also being destroyed. Since oil and gas companies are moving up into the Artic, oils spills are going straight into the water and onto the sea ice. (“Threats to Polar Bears”)
Just like polar bears, coral reefs are also being affected.
Coral reefs are home to many fishes and plants. Because of global warming, 16% of the world’s coral reefs were wiped out in one year alone (“Global Warming and Coral Reefs”). Ocean temperatures have also risen by 1.3 ° Fahrenheit since the last 19th century (Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs). The increasing carbon dioxide levels lead to coral bleaching. This occurs when coral responds to the stress of the temperature warming. This expels the colorful algae that live within most of the coral dies, so the entire ecosystem disappears. Warmer waters are expected to increase the chance of coral diseases such as black band disease, white plague, and white pox. All of the diseases lead to the killing of coral reefs and the entire ecosystem is supports.
Another problem with global warming that is damages coral reefs is ocean acidification. The ocean absorbs one-third of the atmosphere’s excess carbon dioxide causing a more acidic ocean (Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs). In order of coral reefs to grow, it needs to produce limestone at a faster rate than the reef being eroded and ocean acidification slows the rate at which coral reefs produce limestone. All this causes coral skeleton to grow
slower.
An increase in extreme weather events caused by global warming are also destroying the oceans coral reefs. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by many cyclones and severe storms. Reef recovery from severe storms like cyclone Hamish and Cyclone Yasi, is very slow. The reason for them growing so slow is because fewer corals survive to recolonize in affected areas. An increase in severe storms could cause reef structures to degrade, which are already weak by coral bleaching and ocean acidification (“Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reefs”). The Earth’s waters are not the only place being affected by climate change. The Amazon is also being greatly affected.
The Amazon is another part of our Earth being affected by global warming. One major role in maintaining the global and regional climate is the hydrological engine. According to www.wwf.com, the water released by plants into the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration influence the world climate and the circulation of ocean currents. Scientists are noticing that the hydrological engine is starting to fail. There are two factors that are causing this, ENSO and deforestation. The one factor that is most affecting the animals in the Amazon is deforestation.
The harpy eagle is one of the most majestic Amazon birds. It is over a meter tall and has a wingspan of 2 m (“Welcome to the world’s mega bird park”). The harpy eagle feeds on monkeys, sloths, and smaller birds. They spend a lot of their time perched on tree branches and listening for their prey. Though, because of deforestation the population of harpy eagles is declining. Deforestation is taking away their only habitat. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the harpy eagle as Near Threatened.
Deforestation may not be a big deal looking from the outside in, but it is in fact a big deal. We the people are the cause of this abstract type of pollution. We are taking away from the environment by changing the ecosystem that many animals inhabit. What is deforestation? Well it is the process in which parts of the forest – trees to be exact – are cut, burned, or removed to make commercial use for the new cleared land. This decreases the amount of oxygen being put into the air, which affects many animals. One of the almost 3,500 types of animals is the harpy eagle.
We are starting to see that the waste produced by humans is affecting more environments. We are seeing this in reefs, different types of forest, and even the artic. With this comes the destruction of homes to a wide array of wildlife. When most people think of global warming, they think of large ice caps melting away, but in reality, we are seeing this in our backyards and in other areas occupied by both animals and humans.
When you think of the amount of waste released into the atmosphere by humans and compare it to the decreasing population of some species, you can see a direct correlation. This is one of the many ways we as humans must change our everyday lives to fit the needs of the rest of the world’s inhabitant.
We were not the first species on Earth but yet we act like we are the only ones here. Organisms like polar bears, coral reefs, and the harpy eagle are all seeing the affects of global warming, which are caused by our minimal efforts to take care of the world we live in. Just remember the next time you add more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; you may not see the direct affects of that, but something or someone will.