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Effects of Climate Change

The information gathered by scientists about climate has one thing in common; that the earth is warming at a very rate and the sole cause of this climate change are the humans. I have also learned from the videos I have watched that the earth will continue warming in the future but if humans do something about it, this trajectory can be changed. The question that the scientists ask themselves, which I also find myself in the same inability quagmire, is that since the science seems so clear about the climate change, why do so many inhabitants of the earth find it so difficult to accept? Well, there are many perspectives of Americans depending on where they come from. The Americans who live along the coastline such as New York, Washington, Oregon, California and so on have adopted a higher acceptance of the science behind the climate change since they have observed the ocean behaviors.

According to scientists in the videos, sea levels are projected to rise by approximately one meter by the end of this century. This level can go to a high of 7.4 feet depending on the rate of greenhouse gas emissions in the next few years. By 2050, there is a probability that the ocean levels would have increased by one foot regardless of the levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The rise of sea levels will lead to severe coastal floods which will increase in their severity in the coming century. I have learned that these floods will not only have devastating effects on the communities living in the coastal region, but also on the wildlife that depends on this habitat and therefore misbalancing the whole ecosystem.

In my opinion, the most educative part of the videos was the section that discusses the effect of climate change on ocean acidification. As if driving the global temperature to unbearable levels was not enough, the increased production of carbon dioxide has increased the acidification of the oceans. I have taken a keen interest in acidification of the oceans because 97% of the water on the earth is stored in the oceans. The ocean surface area covers about 70% of the earth’s surface. The oceans are home to millions of marine species which supply billions of humanity with food. Unfortunately, since the beginning of industrial revolution, the oceans have been absorbing carbon dioxide produced by human being and machines that use fossil fuels by an estimate of 525 billion tons. The excess carbon is not only affecting the marine life but also the Great Barrier Reef which is bleaching rapidly due to ocean acidification. The oceans are said to be about 30% more acidic than it was about 300 million years ago.

I have realized that global warming has destabilized the natural equilibrium between the ice on the Arctic and the oceans. Climate change has made the ocean’s ice cap to reach a new low; it has shrunk by 300,000 square miles, meaning, it had reduced to 1.32 million square miles from the previous 1.62 million square miles three decades ago. I always assumed that Arctic is a far and remote area without realizing that many species and ecosystems could be affected by the warming that occurs here. In the last three decades, the Arctic’s have lost about 50% of the ice cover and 80% of the ice thickness. In the previous 40 years, the temperatures on the planet have increased with about 0.8˚ C, but the warmth in the Arctic have been twofold due to access of sunlight for 24 hours during summer and the flow of the warm gulf water. The exposure to direct hot rays of the sun has made the ocean to absorb much of the sun’s radiation. The effect of the sun and the greenhouses emissions which are responsible for about 70-95% of Arctic melting has affected the ice levels at the Arctic. One of the effects of thinning of the volume of the white snow cover which plays a major role in reflecting direct rays of light from penetrating the ocean is that the rays of light access the dark ocean water which absorbs the heat at a high rate which in turn contributes to further melting.

I have learned that it is not the melting of ice per se that increases the volume of water in the ocean. It is the expansion of the warm water. The more the warmth in the water, the more its volume increases, and the more melting of arctic ice takes place. Scientists have linked the breakage of ice on the surface of the oceans to glacial earthquakes. I have also realized that there are small issues we assume about the Arctic that help maintains the natural balance of the carbon in the atmosphere. The permafrost that covers the frozen soil which below the freezing point store a lot of carbon that can be produced from the dead plants. The extreme cold temperatures prevent the microbes from acting on the matter and therefore decaying cannot take place. Scientists have estimated that permafrost holds approximately 1.7 trillions of carbon which is more than all the carbon that humanity and their machinery has produced since the start of the industrial revolution era in the 17th century. The effects of climate change could produce warmer temperatures that could thaw the permafrost making the organic matter to decay. The effect of this would be the release of methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, increasing the heat wave 23 times more.

It is ironic therefore that many people are living in denial about the reality of climate change and the disastrous effect that would affect humanity in the next generation. As a patriot, I will hope for, and work for change.

<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE Effects of Climate Change The information gathered by scientists about climate has one thing in common; that the earth is warming at a very rate and the sole cause of this climate change are the humans. I have also learned from the videos I have watched that the earth will continue warming in the future but if humans do something about it, this trajectory can be changed. The question that the scientists ask themselves, which I also find myself in the same inability quagmire, is that since the science seems so clear about the climate change, why do so many inhabitants of the earth find it so difficult to accept? Well, there are many perspectives of Americans depending on where they come from. The Americans who live along the coastline such as New York, Washington, Oregon, California and so on have adopted a higher acceptance of the science behind the climate change since they have observed the ocean behaviors. According to scientists in the videos, sea levels are projected to rise by approximately one meter by the end of this century. This level can go to a high of 7.4 feet depending on the rate of greenhouse gas emissions in the next few years. By 2050, there is a probability that the ocean levels would have increased by one foot regardless of the levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The rise of sea levels will lead to severe coastal floods which will increase in their severity in the coming century. I have learned that these floods will not only have devastating effects on the communities living in the coastal region, but also on the wildlife that depends on this habitat and therefore misbalancing the whole ecosystem. In my opinion, the most educative part of the videos was the section that discusses the effect of climate change on ocean acidification. As if driving the global temperature to unbearable levels was not enough, the increased production of carbon dioxide has increased the acidification of the oceans. I have taken a keen interest in acidification of the oceans because 97% of the water on the earth is stored in the oceans. The ocean surface area covers about 70% of the earth’s surface. The oceans are home to millions of marine species which supply billions of humanity with food. Unfortunately, since the beginning of industrial revolution, the oceans have been absorbing carbon dioxide produced by human being and machines that use fossil fuels by an estimate of 525 billion tons. The excess carbon is not only affecting the marine life but also the Great Barrier Reef which is bleaching rapidly due to ocean acidification. The oceans are said to be about 30% more acidic than it was about 300 million years ago. I have realized that global warming has destabilized the natural equilibrium between the ice on the Arctic and the oceans. Climate change has made the ocean’s ice cap to reach a new low; it has shrunk by 300,000 square miles, meaning, it had reduced to 1.32 million square miles from the previous 1.62 million square miles three decades ago. I always assumed that Arctic is a far and remote area without realizing that many species and ecosystems could be affected by the warming that occurs here. In the last three decades, the Arctic’s have lost about 50% of the ice cover and 80% of the ice thickness. In the previous 40 years, the temperatures on the planet have increased with about 0.8˚ C, but the warmth in the Arctic have been twofold due to access of sunlight for 24 hours during summer and the flow of the warm gulf water. The exposure to direct hot rays of the sun has made the ocean to absorb much of the sun’s radiation. The effect of the sun and the greenhouses emissions which are responsible for about 70-95% of Arctic melting has affected the ice levels at the Arctic. One of the effects of thinning of the volume of the white snow cover which plays a major role in reflecting direct rays of light from penetrating the ocean is that the rays of light access the dark ocean water which absorbs the heat at a high rate which in turn contributes to further melting. I have learned that it is not the melting of ice per se that increases the volume of water in the ocean. It is the expansion of the warm water. The more the warmth in the water, the more its volume increases, and the more melting of arctic ice takes place. Scientists have linked the breakage of ice on the surface of the oceans to glacial earthquakes. I have also realized that there are small issues we assume about the Arctic that help maintains the natural balance of the carbon in the atmosphere. The permafrost that covers the frozen soil which below the freezing point store a lot of carbon that can be produced from the dead plants. The extreme cold temperatures prevent the microbes from acting on the matter and therefore decaying cannot take place. Scientists have estimated that permafrost holds approximately 1.7 trillions of carbon which is more than all the carbon that humanity and their machinery has produced since the start of the industrial revolution era in the 17th century. The effects of climate change could produce warmer temperatures that could thaw the permafrost making the organic matter to decay. The effect of this would be the release of methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, increasing the heat wave 23 times more. It is ironic therefore that many people are living in denial about the reality of climate change and the disastrous effect that would affect humanity in the next generation. As a patriot, I will hope for, and work for change.

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