Darlenes Global Warming

Slide 1: 

Our Destination

Our World As We Know It Now. : 

Our World As We Know It Now.

Before and After : 

Before and After Sixteen years of data on tree growth, tropical air temperatures and CO2 readings indicate that a warming climate may cause the tropical forests to give off more carbon dioxide than they take up. Glaciers in the Northwest United States have also been shrinking.  Studies by the Climate Impacts Group at University of Washington show regional temperature has been 1.5° F warmer in the 20th century, with rising snow lines, decreasing mountain snowpack, and earlier spring runoff.  These photos of Mt. Hood Oregon comparing late season snow and ice only 18 years apart indicate the problem:  much less late summer ice from which the region gets water for irrigation, drinking, and fish habitat.

Rising Tides and Lower Waters : 

Rising Tides and Lower Waters As it takes up heat, ocean water expands -- the major cause of sea level rising at a rate now exceeding 8 inches a century.  Sea level rose about 6 inches in the 20th century, but the rise is predicted to increase to as much as a meter by 2100. Lowering waters

The Arctic and AlaskaHere Today Gone Tomorrow : 

The Arctic and AlaskaHere Today Gone Tomorrow The listing of polar bears as threatened under the U.S. endangered species act (ESA) was announced by Dirk Kempthorne, Interior Secretary, on May 14, 2008. The official reason was loss of Arctic sea ice and predictions that the ice will continue to decrease. Although global warming is scientifically linked to loss of Arctic sea ice, the government did not mention it as the reason for the listing. Secretary Kempthorne, in fact, specifically said the listing would not prevent any sea ice from melting and that he would "make certain the ESA isn't abused to make global warming policies." The listing document said that because specific actions such emissions from a specific coal plant or oil well could not now be directly and scientifically tied to a specific amount of warming or ice loss, these emissions could not be controlled by the terms of the ESA. One environmentalist commented that this is like not controlling tobacco because no specific cigarette could be proved to have caused a specific cancer. The NGOs which proposed the listing are considering asking courts to rule on the government position on ESA and global warming limits. The reduction of the permanent Arctic sea ice by 14 percent since the 1970s is causing not only feeding and breeding difficulties, but also drowning and apparent cannibalism among bears. Government scientists have predicted rapid declines of bears in all but the most northern of the range.. Full text of the polar bear listing may be seen at www.doi.gov

A Under Water World at Risk : 

A Under Water World at Risk Coral reefs are probably the most complex ecosystems on the planet, home to hundreds of thousands of species.   They protect and support the lives of millions of people around the tropical zones, and are a font of wealth from fishing and recreation.  The damage being caused to reefs by warming seas is one of the most serious effects of global warming   Rising sea temperature coupled with the strong El Nino of 1998 was devastating to much of the world's coral reefs.  High water temperatures caused coral bleaching and subsequent death or adverse change to sixteen percent of world reefs overall and up to 46 percent in parts of the Indian Ocean.

To Much C02 : 

To Much C02 Sixteen years of data on tree growth, tropical air temperatures and CO2 readings indicate that a warming climate may cause the tropical forests to give off more carbon dioxide than they take up.  This would upset the common belief that tropical forests are always a sink for carbon, taking huge amounts out of the atmosphere.     The study of 13,700 trees in 18 very isolated plots in Brazil concluded that increased carbon dioxide is the most plausible explanation for the abrupt shifts in species growth.  This "could also have serious ecological repercussions for the diverse.

Pushing the Boundaries of Life : 

Pushing the Boundaries of Life For many years, it was thought that tropical rainforests were essentially unaffected by climate change Now studies are showing that not only were they changed during past events like ice ages, but some areas are being affected right now by warming. At Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, clouds are forming higher, drying out some of the habitat and causing changes in flora and fauna. The most celebrated peer reviewed case is the disappearance of the golden toads, Bufo periglenes. Each year Dr. Alan Pounds and others search for the distinctive orange amphibian in its restricted habitat along a narrow, fog-bound ridge. About 1500 toads were sighted in 1987. But now the breeding pools remain empty -- the toad has not been seen since 1991 and is feared extinct. The golden toad and other amphibians and lizards studied by Dr. Pounds are in decline apparently due to regional temperature increases lifting the level of clouds, effectively drying out the cloud forest moisture on which they depend. This species, Antelopus varius, once common throughout Costa Rica, was not found at all in a recent survey, according to Dr. Pounds. Some of this change may be due to deforestation in lowland Costa Rica, and a group of scientists at Monteverde is planning more study. At the same time, research by Dr. Nalini Nadkarni shows drying will drastically change the composition of the diverse epiphyte community that inhabits the cloud forest canopy. Caribou of the Porcupine Herd in the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, during their annual migration. This herd and other large mammals are threatened by changes to arctic ecosystems due to the warmest temperatures in at least 400 years.

A Small Taste of What Is Yet To Come. : 

A Small Taste of What Is Yet To Come. This is just a small taste of what will happen to our world if we don’t do something now to control global warming. Within the next 10-20 years scientist believe we will have water and air pollution that maybe uncontrollable If we don’t act now. Life as we know it will be a picture in a book, or a once fond memorie,and our children will be forced to suffer for our mistakes. Remember its our world we are the only ones that can save it. For more information on this and other Global Warming issues log on to www.globalwarming.com then click Global Warming Science The New York Times, or click on Global Warming photography, pictures, photos, climate changes to see more.