Global Warming and Its Affects on the Arctic

"Average temperatures in the Arctic region are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world. Arctic ice is getting thinner, melting and rupturing. For example, the largest single block of ice in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, has been around for three thousand years before it started cracking in 2000. Within two years it had split all the way through and is now breaking into pieces" (Natural Resources Defense Council). There is no doubt that the global environment is changing, the natural world around us is being destroyed at a rapid pace and the conditions in the polar ice caps are one to be concerned with. Temperature change has made the once resistant icy terrain to begin to break apart and melt away.

The cause of this troublesome temperature change is global warming, a phenomena brought on by the overuse and burning of fossil fuels and emissions from automobiles. These pollutants, known as greenhouse gasses, work like a net to trap the sun's heat and keep it locked within the earth's environment. The arctic is especially susceptible to global warming effects due to the sheer volume of ice the arctic is partially made up of. Carin Ashjian of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution explains "(The Arctic) consists of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean and surrounding land, including all of Greenland and Spitsbergen, and the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Norway, and Russia... Some parts of the Arctic, like Greenland, are covered with ice sheets." Global warming is, and will continue, to have a significant impact on the ecosystem of the Arctic and its surrounding neighbors. Its damaging effects can be seen not only in climate and landscape changes but also in plant, animal, and human life throughout the area.

The obvious effects of global warming in the Arctic are an increased heat in environmental temperature and a change in landscape. The landscape is altered when the ice covering it melts away, revealing the either water or frozen soil beneath it. Clive Cookson notes, "Arctic sea ice is believed to have receded by 15% in area since 1950. Speculative estimates...put the reduction in thickness at 40%." Included in the major landscape alteration is the rise in ocean level associated with the ice melting. Rises in ocean level are potentially deadly to coastal cities and areas that are close to or are below sea level. A large amount of ice and snowmelt could potentially cause flooding or place a city completely under water. "The ACIA report warns that a complete melting of the Greenland ice sheet could cause sea levels to rise by twenty-three feet. Even a partial melt would cause a three-foot rise in global sea levels... Low lying coastal areas in Florida and Louisiana would be flooded" (qtd. in "On Thin Ice"). The potential damages from global warming to the Arctic landscape will not only devastate this delicate structure of the ecosystem, but will also have drastic affects for neighboring areas.

The melting of polar ice, due to global warming, will also cause the salt levels in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds to be changed. Fresh water resources are vital to the survival of all plant, animal, and human life. When coastal areas and land that is below sea level becomes flooded from the mass ice melt, salt water will make its way further up the coastline and into freshwater resources. The addition of salt water then contaminates the fresh water virtually eliminating the hydration source for a variety of organisms. Another disadvantage of freshwater contamination and increased salt levels in the soil is explained by James Roberts, who says, "...When sea levels rise it will make some agriculture along the coast impossible. Simply put, the land will become too saline for cultivation." This is a huge problem for states and cities whose financial stability relies on sales from agricultural products, whether it is plant growth in the soil or fresh water for livestock.

Aside from landscape changes, global warming also poses a unique threat to the growth of Arctic Ocean plants, specifically the growth of a microscopic plant called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is known to thrive in their natural cool water environment, the increase in water temperature, due to global warming, has caused the growth of these vital plants to slow (University of California, Santa Barbara). The slow growth of phytoplankton means a notable decrease in food for the various numbers of sea creatures that consume it for nourishment. The depletion of phytoplankton would place a large gap in the food chain that Arctic animals, such as fish, whales, and even birds depend on.

The reduction of phytoplankton in the ocean is not only a problem for ocean life it is also a problem for the world as a whole. The University of California, Santa Barbara notes, "Another disturbing result of reduced phytoplankton is that our atmosphere depends on the consumption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by these plants. Reduced phytoplankton means less carbon dioxide is taken up by the ocean, which could speed global warming." The increased levels of carbon dioxide also has had an effect on other plant life residing either underwater or on land by making them less likely to function and absorb nutrients as efficiently as they normally would.

Global warming is proving fatal for a vast number of Arctic wildlife as well. The lack of polar ice in the Arctic sea and increase of saltwater in freshwater resources is having a negative effect on animals in the area. Larry J. Schweiger explains, "Global warming is melting the polar bear's habitat out from under it. The mighty bear is literally drowning, unable to swim increasingly longer distances between sea ice and land. Worse, scientists warn that during summertime, the Arctic may be ice free by 2040, spelling the end to critical polar bear habitat in as little as three decades." Polar bears are not the only species threatened by global warming in the Arctic. All birds, mammals, and insects that live on land and rely on the ocean as a food source are threatened. Birds who practice in annual migration are in danger of drowning when the coastline moves further inland, causing the bird to have to fly further to reach a site safe for landing. The same principle can be applied to mammals such as seals, sea lions, and walruses that rely on land for rest and safety from water predators, such as sharks. Declining coastlines make it difficult for animals to seek refuge in their time of need. Though the United States has taken action and placed a number of animals, including the polar bear, on the endangered species list, if global warming is not curbed the preventative action may still not be enough to stop the extinction of a number of significant Arctic organisms.

The extinction or decline in certain Arctic species, due to global warming, puts a kink in the growth and health of many other organisms residing in the polar ice caps and Arctic Ocean. The food web in the Arctic is an intricate one that depends on each species thriving in their environment. When one species, such as the polar bear, becomes fewer in number their prey grows in number due to the fact that they are not hunted to the same extent they once were. For example, if seals, sea lions, and walruses decrease in numbers, the fish population in the area will undoubtedly grow and consume more food than the fish usually would. In other words the Arctic predator-prey cycles and food web are being disturbed by the affects of global warming.

The change in Arctic animal's numbers and ways of life are also affecting the human population in a negative way. The Natural Resources Defense Council discusses the impact stating, "Polar bears, whales, walruses and seals are changing their feeding and migration patterns, making it harder for native people to hunt them. And along Arctic coastlines, entire villages will be uprooted because they're in danger of being swamped. The native people of the Arctic view global warming as a threat to their cultural identity and their very survival" (National Resource Defense Council). Global warming is not only a continuous threat to animals but also to humans and their very way of life. First of all, the food chain of humans becomes threatened when the food chain of animals is threatened. Since Arctic animal's have already been shown to be feeling the affects of global warming and declining in number because of it, it is fair to say that Arctic natives have most likely felt first hand, the loss of food sources as well. The preservation and safety of Arctic natives is an important problem to be addressed when discussing the issue of global warming in the Arctic.

There are a number of different things being done to curb global warming and the melting of polar ice. An important part of preventing further damage to the Arctic, caused by global warming, is to educate people about pollution and its effects on the environment, as well as how pollution and global warming threaten the Arctic, and how Arctic melt off threatens the rest of the world. With a proper education on these things people can make a more informed decision about the future of their specific ecosystems. Global leaders have set a good example about becoming educated by taking the time to become informed about the issues of global warming. Larry J. Schweiger notes, "A first-ever Tribal Lands Climate Conference... recently gathered one hundred and fifty leaders from more than fifty five U.S. tribes to discuss how their cultures are being affected by climate change." Leaders taking responsibility for their daily impact on the environment and discussing the state of their current ecosystem is an encouraging step in the right direction and can push people in furthering their own knowledge. While education is an important tool in the fight against global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps, quick action is necessary to fully eliminate the affects.

It is easy to think that global warming only pertains to climate change; in fact it is almost common for that assumption to be made. The mistake of describing global warming as merely an increase in temperature from year to year is a tough habit to break. Global warming is a problem that affects nearly every aspect of the environment we live in. The health of the Arctic and the ice that covers it is in jeopardy, when the ice is gone the consequences that follow will be dire for the entire world. Every plant, animal, human and even bacteria will be affected by the destruction of the Arctic in one-way or another. The examples given above concerning flooding, landscape changes and plant and animal extinction are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the facts and affects of global warming on and around the Arctic environment. Preventative measures and reducing the impact humans have on the environment is the only way to truly eliminate the threat of global warming and polar ice melt.

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