Impacts of Climate change on the Artic
- Created by: Hayley Petts
- Created on: 08-01-13 15:36
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- Impacts of Climate Change in the Artic
- Vulnerability
- Greenland ice sheet melting
- Permafrost boundary moving north and area covered is shrinking
- area of Artic sea ice is shrinking at an increasing rate
- reductions in ice thickness
- treeline moving north-area where trees grow is shrinking
- predicted to warm by 18degrees f by 2100
- Social Impacts
- area of inhabitable land will increase due to ice melt
- increased population - immigration
- destruction of entire villages -ice thinner + weaker
- 24 villages in Alaska now threatened by flooding
- more dangerous waves +storms
- over 3000 households rely on hunting + fishing
- Indigenous people benefit from tourism
- 30% now make income from sculptures or printmaking
- area of inhabitable land will increase due to ice melt
- Economical Impacts
- opening of northwest passage
- imports + exports
- quicker to travel
- travel tour operations from places like Canada
- Indigenous people hunt fish which are declining
- increased melting of Greenland Ice sheet - increased Agriculture potential
- longer warmer growing seasons
- improved soil
- opportunities for TNC's to exploit oil sources
- opening of northwest passage
- Environmental Impacts
- sea ice becomes thinner (10-15% reduction)
- sept 2002 smaller ice cover on record
- increased coastal erosion
- Thawing permafrost weakens coast
- greater use of northwest passage
- increased risk of oil spills
- decreased salinity of the ocean's surface layer
- sea ice decreased by 8%
- an area larger than Denmark, Sweden + Norway
- access to fish, oil + gas
- 40% of permafrost will thaw
- releases methane
- Ecological Impacts
- longer warmer growing seasons will benefit agriculture
- total number of species will increase
- warm water reduces amount of marine plants that smaller fish feed on
- affect food chain higher up e.g. Cod + Halibut
- Can affect seals - multiplier effect
- affect food chain higher up e.g. Cod + Halibut
- Polar Bears
- Fear of exinction
- smaller sea stocks reduce available food supply
- reduced hunting season due to melting of ice sheet
- increased ultra violet radiation destroys phyto plankton - base of marine food chain
- Species go north e.g. Killer Whale affecting food chain
- some will suffer major increase
- Vulnerability
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