" The positive feedback mechanisms that researchers choose to focus on includes the following. Ice naturally reflects heat in the form of solar radiation back into space. When ice flows melt, less heat is reflected and consequently, more heat is absorbed by the earth. The more the ice melts, the more heat is absorbed by the earth, raising the surface temperatures and thereby causing more ice to melt. Few other positive feedback mechanisms have been adequately addressed by the literature found in online trade publications. Further research should be done on the positive feedback mechanisms involving the depletion of vegetation and animal life in the arctic, for example. Moreover, because positive feedback essentially constitutes a vicious cycle of global warming, its effects should be readily apparent, probably far before they impact human populations. The websites at New Scientist.com, the United States EPA, and the Union of Concerned Scientists all point to the positive feedback mechanism as speeding up the global warming process, exacerbating human causes.
In fact, one of the reasons why scientists are focusing so much on global warming in the Arctic is that what happens in the Arctic is a precursor to what will happen elsewhere. In a sort of trickle-down effect, Arctic global warming will eventually manifest south of the pole. Most of the literature includes some reference to the anthropogenic (human) causes of the problem. Of these anthropogenic causes, the extant literature concentrates most on greenhouse gases. "Early Warming Signs," an article published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Ravilious'...
west coast," the EPA's article "Climate," Maggie Fox's Reuters piece "Ocean, Arctic Studies Show Global Warming Is Real" and Bhattacharya's "Arctic warming at twice global rate" all note the relevance of human causes such as air and
water pollution on creating global warming in the arctic.
This literature review focuses on three main areas of study: how global warming in the arctic affects ecosystems in the Arctic regions; how positive feedback mechanisms exacerbate global warming in the Arctic, and how anthropogenic factors contribute to the problem. Based on this review of online studies related to global warming in the arctic, more research needs to be conducted in each of these three areas. More studies need to conclusively isolate human factors so that adequate public policies can be created and enforced. Because global warming in the arctic is readily understood as a precursor for global warming and
climate change throughout the globe, the topic is rife with potential for future research.
Works Cited
Bhattacharya, Shaoni. "Arctic warming at twice global rate." NewScientist.com. 2 Nov 2004. Retrieved online 5 Mar 2005. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6615
Climate: An Introduction." United States Environmental Protection Agency. 7 Jan 2000. Retrieved online 5 Mar 2005. http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/climate.html.
Early Warning Signs: Arctic and Antarctic Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. 2003. Retrieved 5 Mar 2005. Online at http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/global_warming/page.cfm?pageID=507.
Fox, Maggie. "Ocean, Arctic Studies Show Global Warming Is Real." Reuters.com. 17 Feb 2005. Retrieved online 5 Mar 2005. Online at http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7667385..
Ravilious, Kate. "Arctic melt may dry out U.S. west coast." NewScientist.com. 11 April 2004. Retrieved 5 Mar 2005. Online at http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4856.
