Hobbies And Interests
Higher Sea Levels and Flooded Coastlines
When floating sea ice melts, this does not increase ocean levels because frozen water actually has more volume than water in its liquid form. However, when land-based glaciers such as the polar icecaps melt, ocean levels rise. Coastal areas around the world face flooding and inundation as ocean volumes increase. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, scientists have difficulty predicting future ocean levels, but they foresee serious threats to coastal wetlands, water supplies and property. Entire cities and island nations sucha s the Maldives would disappear, and parts of Bangladesh would slip beneath the waves if ocean levels rise as expected.
Increased Absorption of the Sun's Heat
Light-colored Ice and snow reflect sunlight more than darker colors, so when ice cover melts to reveal earth or ocean beneath, the Earth absorbs more heat. According to authors G. Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman, "The Earth's poles and mountaintop glaciers are the planet's air-conditioning system." The more polar ice disappears, the less capacity the remaining ice has to keep the planet cool, which only accelerates melting and atmospheric warming in what climate scientists call a feedback loop.
Changing Ecosystems and Loss of Biodiversity
As Earth's air-conditioning system breaks down, average annual temperatures in polar regions have shot up much faster than in other areas. The effects offer a preview of the consequences for the rest of the planet. The decline of sea ice in the Arctic has reduced habitat for species including polar bears, seals and nesting birds. As the warming trend intensifies, similar changes will occur in ecosystems worldwide. The ranges of some plant and animal species will shrink, while others will move into territories once occupied by species adapted to cooler climates. Ultimately, warming may lead to the extinction of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable species.
Human Survival
As the melting and warming feedback loop continues, human populations worldwide face threats to their food security and ways of life. Rising temperatures will affect growing seasons in agricultural regions and the viability of certain staple crops. In the Midwestern breadbasket of the United Stataes, warming will remove moisture from the soil and make it impossible to grow winter wheat, which will affect farmers' livelihoods as well as the food supply. Indigenous peoples and other populations that rely on an intimate knowledge of local ecosystems face economic and cultural disaster, as familiar species dwindle or move to more hospitable areas.