Arctic Warming having Wideranging Effects
The arctic warming is having widespread effects not only in the arctic but all across the planet impacting birds, plants and seasons. The Arctic has been the fastest warming climate on Earth over the last decade and just last week researchers stated the Arctic is the warmest it has been in 2000 years.
The Arctic as we know it may soon be a thing of the past," Eric Post, an associate professor of biology at Penn State University, said in a statement. Post led a research team that studied the Arctic during the International Polar Year, which ended in 2008. Their findings are reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
"Species on land and at sea are suffering adverse consequences of human behavior at latitudes thousands of miles away," Post said. "It seems no matter where you look, on the ground, in the air, or in the water, we're seeing signs of rapid change."
Sea ice cover has shrunk by a staggering 45,000 kilometers a year over the past 20 to 30 years, causing a rapid decline in the gulls, walruses, seals, and polar bears which rely upon it. Warming temperatures are allowing shrubs and trees to expand their range and also are damaging native vegetation. One winter warming episode led to vegetation damage so extensive that plant product was cut by 26% over an area of at least 1,400 square kilometers.
A new study has determined that the release of greenhouse gases jumped by the biggest amount on record. These gases are root cause of global warming.
Arctic Sea ice melted this summer to the second lowest level since record-keeping began more than 50 years ago
The protective ozone layer in the Arctic that keeps out the sun's most damaging rays, ultraviolet radiation, has thinned about 40% percent this winter, a record drop.
A rapidly warming climate is reshaping Denali, Kenai Fjords and other national parks comprising the crown jewels of Alaska's heritage as America's last frontier.
A United Nations program under debate at the climate change conference in Cancun could help millions who live in the world's forests earn more while slowing the deforestation that accounts for 20% of the carbon dioxide emissions