Impacts of a warming Arctic

¶ … warming Arctic

Global warming has reached alarming levels and the effects of the event are felt throughout the world. The Arctic region is one of the territories that have experienced the full hit of global warming and because of the importance that the area has to the rest of the planet, the effects of a warming Arctic are manifested through severe environmental changes occurring around the globe.

The planet's climate is rapidly changing because of the rising temperature in the Arctic. The speed at which the climate is changing is apparently going to be accelerated in the near future and the effects resulting out of the process are expected to influence social, economic, and physical changes.

Scientists, environmentalists and other concerned people have dedicated countless numbers of books, articles and documentaries. Among others, the "Impacts of a Warming Arctic - Arctic Climate Impact Assessment" is one of the studies dedicated to it. The book offers important information backed with solid arguments, contributing to the theory that the Arctic is warming and that the main actor that played a key role in the outcome is mankind.

The book primarily consists out of reports done by some of humanity's leading scientists. Society as a whole is apparently going to benefit from the information present in this work, considering the fact that it provides answers and facts on one of the most controversial topics presently under discussion.

Ever since the industrial revolution, mankind has begun a constantly developing process of increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. because of the impressive rise in gas levels that occurred in the recent centuries, the global average temperature had actually gone up by an approximate 0.6 degrees Celsius. While there is insufficient data to confirm that humans have been mainly responsible for the process of global warming, there is enough evidence to support the conclusion that the past fifty years have proved to be the most damaging to the earth's atmosphere. Although Society has taken some measures in order to diminish carbon dioxide emissions in the recent years, they proved to be inefficient since no evident changes have resulted out of the course of action. Global warming is not something that can be stopped immediately, as it involves a long-term process, with the decline in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere being expected to begin in several decades from the start of the cleansing course.

Moreover, the whole world needs to be involved in taking these measures and while there will be whole regions that will not be able or willing to change in this respect, there will be a weak chance of seeing a global improvement in this direction.

If no one takes decisive actions so as to stop the increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, matters are expected to get worse by the end of the twenty first and the average temperature is expected to reach alarming numbers century. Atmospheric and oceanic flow patterns will shift, leading to a rise in precipitations and in sea-level. Every creature on the planet, ranging from insects to human beings is currently feeling the aftermath of global warming.

It is not surprising that society finds it difficult to put an end to the emission of greenhouse gases, as about 80% of the energy artificially produced by humans comes from the use of fossil fuels.

People all over the world would have to replace the old methods of producing energy with more efficient and environment friendly methods in order to gradually decrease the emissions of carbon dioxide.

The arctic region is home to some of the most extreme living conditions on the planet. The organisms that inhabited the Arctic region have successfully adapted to a very harsh environment. The extremes present in the area are sometimes critical for the creatures there, as whole generations of animals have been reported to perish as a result of the living conditions.

Whereas global warming has made it presence felt around the globe with somewhat minimal effects, the situation in the Arctic is different, with wild life populations suffering greatly as a result. Human contribution to the global warming process might not be demonstrated yet, but it is obvious that Arctic life has been severely affected as a result of human intervention in the area. People are responsible for great number of habitat-damaging activities, such as contaminating the water and the air in the region, overfishing, extracting resources and similar abuses. Another reason for the increasingly poor life conditions for all life forms in the Arctic life is the fact that the human population in the area has grown in numbers in the recent years, adding to the stress on the land and its resources.

Humans are not new to the Arctic region, as they have inhabited the territory for thousands of years, one study even going as far as claiming that people have been present in the Arctic approximately thirty thousands years ago. Even though they could not initially find sustainable life conditions in the region, given the fact that resources had been scarce, they have gradually begun to adapt to it, and eventually developed successful communities with the help of the technology. For thousand of years people and wild life seemed to coexist in the spirit of nature, but conditions changed in the modern era when more polluting technologies have replaced the more environmentally friendly ones and humans and animals have started to compete for territory.

One difference in the effects of global warming on the Arctic and the effects that it had on most regions around the world is that the rise in Arctic temperatures is twice as large as the rise in other areas. Climate changes are generally more intense in the Arctic region. The events presently coming to pass in the Arctic can be considered to be examples of the events about to take place in the rest of the world in the near future.

A reason for which temperatures in the Arctic have grown at double the speed they have in other areas from around the world might be that the surface reflectivity has been reduced as a result of the decline in snow and ice.

The irony is that while the greenhouse gases emitted by various areas outside the Arctic have a devastating effect mainly on the Arctic in the present, the region's distress will be felt all around the globe, as the Arctic is responsible for providing the planet with significant natural resources.

Sea ice is of great importance for providing the marine mammals and the birds with natural habitats. However, concomitantly, the sea ice in the Arctic also plays a crucial role in regulating earth's climate. It has been reported that the ice sheet in the Arctic has experienced a small but noteworthy reduction starting in the last decades of the twentieth century until the present. During the time when it freezes, ocean water rejects salt substance, thus forming pure ice. Consequent to being released from the formation of ice, the substances containing salt cause the surface water to become thicker and to eventually sink, making it possible for the process of winter convection to take place. This process in turn assists the system of sea currents taking part in the termohaline circulation.

If Arctic warming occurs, sea ice melts, leading to an invasion of freshwater. This action in turn causes seawater to become less dense, and, if it is less dense, it will be unable to sink. The termohaline circulation will probably be stopped as a result and the climate of the North American and the European continents will change consequently.

The decrease in sea ice is most likely to attract opportunists willing to profit from the exploit through various means. "Declines in sea ice are likely to open up the Arctic to more shipping, oil and gas exploration and fisheries" (Science News). Under these circumstances, it is obvious that sea ice will continue to decrease in proportions in the following years. People need to come up with plans to profit from this without bringing more damage to the environment.

Several coastal states are attempting to claim land over the Arctic, most probably with the intention to use the respective land once the ice sheets decrease and exploitation becomes possible. Apparently, the Arctic holds between 15-25% of the global resources of oil and gas. The largest fraction from these resources is not presently accessible because of the ice thickness in the region. It is not surprising that several countries have suddenly begun to express their interest in claiming the territory, as its financial potential is enormous.

Permafrost is currently melting because of the warming process and along with its thawing it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, further contributing to the overall warming event. As a result of the permafrost melting, the Arctic turns from a place receiving carbon into a place emitting the gas. The pace at which the Arctic is warming is in all probability going to be quickening because of the permafrost thawing. Scientists are unable to determine the amounts of gases that will be released into the atmosphere because the early studies on permafrost melting are no longer accurate.

The melting of the permafrost does not only affect the environment because of the gases that it releases, but also, because it would lead to the erosion of the Arctic coastlines. This would have a devastating impact on the industry present there and on sites that are of great cultural importance. With the coasts being eroded because of permafrost, sea waves and storms will have better access to the shore. Communities and ecosystems are anticipated to be affected by the floods coming in through the coastal wetlands. The financial costs required for mass movements are colossal, and, in some areas, relocation processes have already taken place. Communities and industrial facilities in coastal areas have had no other solution than to reposition, given the fact that the warming Arctic had been threatening them.

Another impact that permafrost thawing is likely to have on the Arctic is that frozen ground contains toxic and even radioactive materials which will be released into the environment once the permafrost melts. Humans and wildlife will be deeply affected as a consequence of coming across toxic materials.

The melting of sea ice and permafrost influences the native people living in the Arctic, as well as the wildlife in the territory. The Inuit, as well as the animals in the land, had been accustomed to walk on the same travel routes every year, but due to the fact that the ground is no longer secure in certain areas, they have to adopt new routes. This act will have a profound effect on the lives and on the customs of people, and it will produce great stress among the wildlife population. Seabirds, polar bears and seals will have an increasingly smaller habitat, with extinction posing a growing threat for these species and everything that is linked their existence.

While Arctic warming will bring a series of advantages, such as an increase in agriculture and forestry in the territory, it will also work against the locals, as they will be more vulnerable to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

A notable theory related to the benefits coming along with a warming Arctic is the one concerning how trees would become more and more common in the territory, eating up carbon dioxide and providing the locals with large amounts of wood. Also, employment rates will go up because of the development of the wood industry, bringing benefits to the local and to the international economies. Tree growth would also have a detrimental effect on the present wildlife population, bringing in new animal species, insects, and the risk of forest fires.

Arctic warming is largely influenced by outside factors, as society is to blame for the weather anomalies reported in the Arctic region. On top of the fact that the whole world is responsible for the disaster currently taking place in the Arctic, the Arctic itself contributes to the overall situation through permafrost thawing, through receiving UV radiation from the sun, and through various other factors.

The indigenous populations in the Arctic are known to depend on hunting related activities and with the wildlife population risking extinction, the locals risk facing a disaster, from an economical as well as a social and cultural one. The cultural identity these people have relies (to a certain degree) on them being in conformity with their traditions. The impacts of Arctic warming can actually be observed by studying the local communities.