Environmental Problems: Global Warming

Arctic Sea Ice Melting

A polar bear mother and her two cubs walk along the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba near Churchill, Canada. In May, the U.S. Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species saying it must be protected because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming. (AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward, File) http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/06/12/arctic-sea-ice-melting-faster-than-expected/

Endangering the Polar Bears

Global Warming has caused the rapid lose of permafrost which is the main habitat for these amazing creatures. If we do not take care of this situation now it can lead to the endangerment of polar bears. These will be the first large mammals to be effected by global warming. It is shown that the effects could reach up to 900 miles inland.

The melting rate of the permafrost may cause alteration of weather patterns in lower altitudes. Permafrost- Is soil in which has been below zero degrees Celsius for more the two years. Polar bears are drowning into extinction; they are not capable of swimming long distances, and with the rate of sea ice melting it has cause polar bears to become threatened/endangered. Scientist have warned the world that if this is not controlled, by 2040 the Arctic will be freed.

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/original/3-lazy-polar-bears.jpg

(Drowning Polar Bear)-

If this picture does not make you upset, then I really don’t know what will. Polar Bears are being found dead from drowning. They are swimming farther between the ice and sea causing them to drown. This also leaves their cubs for starvation waiting for their parents to return with food. The problem with habitat loss is polar bears are now having malnutrition and starvation problems. Polar bears happen to be the largest predator found on land, weighting up to 880-1500lbs. Female polar bears are about half the size of males. With this huge amount of body fat they need a lot of food to keep them from starvation. Polar bears prey upon Ringed and Bearded seals. Polar bears hunt for their food by “Still-hunting”. “Still-hunting” is when a polar bear seeks out a breathing hole of a seal and waits for it to return from sea. With Ringer and Bearded seals being harder to reach, polar bears have now resulted to attacking humans because of starvation. If there is no ice, there will be no seals for the polar bears to stalk. It is not just polar bears thought; many species are being affected by global warming.

One example of global warming is the weight of a pregnant polar bear. The Western Hudson Bay has been having a population decline in polar bears do to the temperature change. These polar bears feed late spring on Ringer seal pups that are easily hunted. When the ice starts to break in late spring and that is when hunting season ends. Until next spring the polar bear eats very little and fast.

The problem with the Arctic is the temperatures are rising cause spring to come about three weeks to early. This causes the polar bears to have less time for feeding. This change has accrued over the last 30 years. The study of a pregnant polar bear was about 640lbs for a normal pregnant polar bear because the temperatures started too changed. Now that the temperature has changed the weight of a pregnant polar bear has gone down to 510bls. This has also caused the West Hudson Bay population to decline 22%.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.killawatt-electric-car-conversions.com/images/polar-bear-on-sea-ice.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.killawatt-electric-car-conversions.com/global-warming.html&usg=__ufIjBRlTg5o98JqqRCg3dGs_gSw=&h=286&w=430&sz=42&hl=en&start=27&um=1&tbnid=RIVTZhvTVV1YbM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpolar%2Bbears%2Bglobal%2Bwarming%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

Ship Amid Melting Arctic Ice

This past summer, high temperatures have threatened vast regions of the Arctic sea ice. It has created the Northwest Passage to open. This past winter has been extremely cold, does this mean the Arctic recovering or is Global Warming continuing to take its path?

Global Warming is hard to predict because of the short term effects of temperature in certain regions. Universal today has announced “Vancouver had one of the coldest and snowiest winters this past year”. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been recording perennial ice that last for more than a couple of seasons. Their long term studies have shown perennial ice had covered about 50-60% of the Arctic. This past year it has dropped to about 30%. Also the most ancient ice, which has survived more than 6 years, was covering more than 20% of the Arctic. Now the ancient ice is down to about 6%. Throughout the year the perennial ice fluctuates during the winter season and summer season. The perennial sea ice coverage is down to its “all-time low”.

The U.S Geological Survey has a prediction that in 50 years 2/3’s of the polar bear population will disappear. If polar bears happen to changed their food patterns and become terrestrial food sources. Some think that the polar bear will be able to adapt to the climate change because they have in the past. The problem with predicting adaptation is that global warming has taken a faster toll. Polar bear do not reproduce at a fast rate because of their life spans. Global warming is too fast for their generations to become adapt to their new surroundings. We cannot just sit back and hope that these polar bears can deal with global warming. Something has to be done about the rate of global warming. The Arctic itself will not last if we do not do something to change are habits of pollution to the ozone layers. With no change to are pollution problem we can just say by to the polar bears which is only a fraction to what the problem will actually be in the couple of decades.

Polar bears and the other spices being affected by global warming are a clear cut warning to the effects of pollution. The video below shows the annual pattern of melting ice each spring and winter. This shows a clear decrease in ice each year and as each year goes by it become worse and worse. If this is not enough proof of global warming? Are we just going to sit back and let this happen? This earth is not just home to all animals it is home to humans as well. So once we have killed all the animals what do people really think is going to be next?

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/19/arctics-oldest-and-thickest-ice-is-melting-away/

Video:

From:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAwnTkPzpls&eurl=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/melting-arctic-video.php

Warming Temperatures Threaten Polar Bears

This environmental threat to Polar bears habitat has caused the Polar bears to become an endangered species. These animals have become the first spices to be threatened by Global Warming. There are about 20,000 to 25,000 Polar bears worldwide today. The climate change in the Arctic has lead Polar Bears stranded. The Reason for the Warming temperatures is because of the large amount of Co2 that is being put into the atmosphere. About 28% of the problem is transportation from vehicles. The effect from the Co2 is the solar ice caps and glaciers are melting at an especially fast rate.

glaciers are melting extremely quickly

Reports from hunters: in Alaska

Jeremiah Johnson “comforts a polar bear that had collapsed from heat exhaustion before he could shoot it.” They cannot adapt to the rapid climate change, it is happening to fast. We need to step back and realize what is going on. We are melting the Arctic at a rate that will cause massive change to the environment. If we do not stop there, the consequences will soon hit the entire world not just the Arctic.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ecoenquirer.com/polar-bear-heat.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ecoenquirer.com/polar-bear-heat.htm&h=483&w=700&sz=41&hl=en&start=5&um=1&usg=__MCSJXrfplSN_HEVxdHNQ9JOlYlc=&tbnid=hvVZSvLvefBVoM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpolar%2Bbears%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff

This is a positive situation though, that the bears are named endangered. It is making the government realize that the affects of global warming are affecting wild life. This is the first step to admit that we have created a path of devastation to are economy and to fix it we must change are ways. If we decrease are pollution by 2% each year, we should be able to save are world from massive devastation from global warming.

It’s sad to say that global warming is not the only threat that can take the lives of polar bears. Oil and Gas development have become an issue to the habitat of polar bears. Oil spills are one major threat to the population. When oil is spilled and a polar bear come into contact the reaction is not a positive one. The polar bear fur is its only way of insulation, and if oil happens to touch its fur, the polar bear will eventually die from hypothermia. When polar bears try to lick this oil off of their skins, they end up with kidney failure. With the development and exploration of oil, the dens of pregnant polar bears tended to leave their dens abandoned, leaving their new born pups behind also.

Oil and gas are another reason why we need to protect the polar bears. If we start with global warming and make others realize the threat to polar bears just from global warming, just maybe we can stop the development of oil in Alaska. If many would just take the time to realize what is really going on, many would stand up and do their part to help these poor animals. But the truth of the matter is no one knows about the developments of oil, or that the ice is shrinking at a rate so incredibly fast. Hopefully this website along with the many out there will contribute to saving these poor creatures.

Website:

Adler, Jerry. "Bears on Thin Ice." Newsweek 149.1/2 (08 Jan. 2007): 9-9. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 30 Nov. 2008 <http://libill.hartford.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23575170&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.

Schweiger, Larry J. "Global Warming Endangers Wildlife." National Wildlife 45.3 (Apr. 2007): 9-9. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 1 Dec. 2008 <http://libill.hartford.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24535078&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/07/08/polar_wideweb__430x272.jpg