Global Warming in the Arctic

Global Warming in the Arctic

Global warming is no myth. Since the Industrial Revolution, the earth's average surface temperature has risen about one degree Fahrenheit, "with accelerated warming during the past two decades," according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("Climate"). Most of the global warming that has occurred over the past several decades is a direct product of human activities: factory emissions and automobile emissions especially. The emissions from factories and automobiles create what are known as "greenhouse gases," mainly carbon dioxide. The earth actually has a natural "greenhouse effect," a layer of the earth's atmosphere that keeps surface temperatures warm enough for biological life as we know it. Without a natural greenhouse effect, Earth surface temperatures would be far lower than they are now. However, the overall rise in the Earth's surface temperatures since the Industrial Revolution has occurred far faster than it would have without human intervention. Accelerated global warming can have dire consequences for life on earth. For example, according to Kate Ravillous of New Scientist, the west coast of the United States could suffer a severe water shortage by 2050 due to global warming. Most of the culprits of global warming exist in the most heavily industrialized and populated parts of the world such as the United States and Eastern Europe. However, the geological and environmental factors that directly cause global warming occur in one of the most sparsely populated regions of the globe: the Arctic. Global warming begins with anthropogenic factors such as auto emissions, proceeds to rising Arctic surface and air temperatures, and becomes magnified by several positive feedback mechanisms. In fact, if left unchecked, global warming in the Arctic will account for most of the damage incurred by the phenomenon world wide because of the positive feedback mechanism.

The first step in the process of global warming in the Arctic is the unnatural and excessive emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by human factors. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon; global warming is anthropogenic. In other words, human beings cause much of the harmful effects of global warming we are beginning to notice today. The Arctic is one of the first regions of the globe to experience the effects of anthropogenic global warming even though so few human beings live in the Arctic regions of the globe because of several unique geological and climatological characteristics of the region. When human beings emit chemicals such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from automobiles, factories, and industrial agriculture, these greenhouse gases build up in the Earth's atmosphere. "Scientists generally believe that the combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities are the primary reason for the increased concentration of carbon dioxide," ("Climate"). Chemical compounds like carbon dioxide occur naturally without any human intervention. In fact, without a natural greenhouse effect, life on earth would as we know it would be impossible; surface temperatures would be low and more solar radiation would reach the planet. However, the increased emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are causing a rapid and potentially irreversible warming of surface and atmospheric temperatures worldwide. The Arctic is affected by global warming before the rest of the world because of the presence of ice and snow, and the Arctic will intensify the human consequences of global warming because of the ways ice and snow are integral to regulating Earth's surface and atmospheric temperatures.

The second step in the process of global warming in the Arctic is therefore the melting of ice and snow. Due to the increase in anthropogenic chemical emissions, the greenhouse effect is exacerbated. The exacerbation of the greenhouse effect then causes a rise in surface and atmospheric temperatures. Due to the rising atmospheric and surface temperatures, snow and ice in the Arctic begin to melt. The melting of snow and ice in the Arctic leads to several unfortunate consequences. First, sea levels begin to rise as the ice melts. Rising sea levels can cause major upheavals in climate: not only can flooding occur, but also droughts. Regions that are not used to heavy rainfall might receive increased precipitation due to the patterns of evaporation and wind currents. Second, the melting ice and snow cause what is known as positive feedback mechanisms.