70806
Description
Mind Map by Jodie Goodacre, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Jodie Goodacre
over 11 years ago
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Arctic - Climate Change
- Lies within the Arctic circle
- 66.5 degree line of latitude
- Consists of the ice sheet surrounding the North Pole
- Eight countries - Canada, USA, Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway
- 14.5 million sq km in land mass
- It is mostly covered by pack-ice averaging 2-3 meters thick
- January temperatures average -35 degrees and in July -1.5 degrees
- Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else of earth
- Is a barometer for change
- Over the past few decades, the Arctic has warmed at about twice the rate of the rest of the globe
- The IPCC states that over the last 30 years the average sea ice extent in the Arctic has decreased by 8%
- The Greenland ice sheet is the
largest body of freshwater ice in
the Northern hemisphere
- Some models suggest that the Arctic may be ice free in the summer in 10 to 50 years
- Increased absorption of
heat from the sun into the
ocean (lowered albedo)
is a major contributor to
sea ice reduction
- The breaking of the ice much earlier in the season makes it difficult to hunt
- Arctic soils contain a lot of carbon in the form of partially decomposed organic matter
- As permafrost thaws methane and carbon dioxide are released
- Climate change is already
destabilizing other systems in
Greenland, including mountain
glaciers, the distribution of
permafrost and vegetation
- The thermohaline circulation links the major oceans and it plays an important role in the transference of heat from the equator to the poles
- It is caused by the different density of sea water caused by temperature and salinity
- If the water doesn't cool enough it won't sink and then the circulation will break down with possibly catastrophic effects
- The melting caps will cause more fresh water as a result in reduced salinity which could cause cooling in the North-West of Europe
- It is caused by the different density of sea water caused by temperature and salinity
- About half of the analysed models suggest near-complete to complete ice loss in September by 2100
- Climate warming and insect infestations make forests more susceptible to forest fires
- A fire in 1996 burned 37,000 acres of forest
- This caused $80 million
in direct losses, 450
structures destroyed
including 200 homes
- This caused $80 million
in direct losses, 450
structures destroyed
including 200 homes
- As many as 200,000
Alaskan residents may
now be at risk from fires
- A fire in 1996 burned 37,000 acres of forest
- NASA reported ice sheets 12 times the size of the UK were lost by 2012
- Vegetation shifts
- Tree line moves further North
- Vegetation shift may weaken food webs
- Warmer growing season will benefit the Arctic agriculture consequently creating more carbon sinks
- Up to 40% of permafrost is expected to thaw
- Thawing permafrost may damage houses, roads, airports and pipelines
- Thawing permafrost may cause land instability and landslides
- Local coastal losses to erosion of up to 100ft in some places have been recorded
- Increased UV radiation will reach the Earth's surface as snow and ice cover is lost
- Many freshwater eco-systems are highly sensitive to UV radiation, which destroys Phytoplankton at the base of the marine ecosystem
- Melting glaciers and ice sheets leads to a reduction in the albedo effect causing further warming
- There will be a spread in certain species such as the spruce bark beetle in Alaska
- Eustatic rise in sea level
- Loss of hunting culture and decline of food for indigenous people such as Inuit's
- 90% of Greenland's population are Inuit's
- Need for herd animals such as reindeer to change their migration routes
- A decline in Northern freshwater fisheries will result, but enhanced marine fisheries will evolve
- Transport opportunities will arise
- Increased access for marine shipping
- Arctic will become vulnerable to exploitation for oil, gas, fish and other resources
- Over 3,000 households rely on hunting and fishing as a source of employment and food
- Warmer water is reducing the quantity of marine plants
- Thinning ice makes hunting far more dangerous for inuit's
- Melting ice sheets will add to rising global sea levels
- May be quicker to travel across land in the future
- Travel tour operations from places like Canada will boost the local economy
- Improved soil due to thawing permafrost
- Opportunities for TNCs
- Increased population possible
- Tourism opportunities
- Greater diversity in species
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