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| The Effects of Global Warming
The Effects of Global Warming
by Christine Lehman
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The effects of global warming, otherwise known as global climate change, are beginning to increase in frequency and intensity. No country, no species, no person on Earth is immune from the effects of global warming, which vary depending on time and space.
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Normally, solar energy strikes the Earth's surface and bounces back into space. To prevent the Earth from cooling too much, there is a thin layer of gases that traps some of the radiant heat next to the earth, similar to what occurs in a greenhouse. These gases, referred to as greenhouse gases, are necessary for the earth to retain enough heat to support life. Throughout time there have been fluctuations in the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the environment, and climate has been widely variable. In recent times, however, levels of greenhouse gases have achieved concentrations higher than ever, resulting in wider climatic fluctuations. There are many effects of the intensifying greenhouse effect.
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Warmer Temperatures
Warmer global temperatures have many results. Ice sheets are melting all over the world. Habitats for polar species are becoming warmer, and in some cases unlivable by many species. Sea levels are expected to rise because of the melting ice, which will inundate many coastal areas, leaving millions of people homeless. Glaciers that serve as a water source for many people are melting at unprecedented rates, which will leave millions without water for drinking, irrigation or hydropower.
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Extreme Weather
Increases in global temperatures will spark many other weather phenomenon to become more frequent and intensify. More fierce hurricanes will be spurred on by warm ocean temperatures. Dry areas which depend on soil moisture to produce rain clouds will become more dry and receive even less rain, and become more drought-prone. Drought areas will also succumb to wildfires more often. Conversely, areas that receive a lot of rain will become wetter due to increased evaporation, which will drive even more frequent and torrential rains. Summertime maximum temperatures will increase, lending to killer heat waves like the one in the summer of 2003 that killed nearly 30,000.
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Increased Disease
Many diseases are caused by insect vectors that thrive in wet areas. Areas prone to flooding will have more frequent and longer-lasting outbreaks of diseases like malaria, cholera, dengue fever and West Nile virus.
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Altered Habitat
Many species are perfectly suited for the climatic conditions under which they presently live. Warmer temperatures are already responsible for reduced hibernation periods in bears, which causes them to not produce young as well. Caribou, which feed on lichens, are finding melting permafrost is affecting their food supply. Warmer arctic waters are seeing more and more invasive species, which are outcompeting native species that live there. Melting ice packs are giving polar bears less space than their massive size requires. Alpine winter temperatures are no longer low enough for a long enough period of time to kill off pest species like the spruce bark beetle, leaving this species to ravage enormous stands of pine trees (and leaving them vulnerable to wildfires). Flower species are beginning to bloom sooner, sometimes before their pollinators return from their wintering grounds. It is suspected that hundreds of species will become extinct if global warming continues on its current trajectory.
