Global Warming is Warning us Through Sea Level Rising and Icecaps Melting : A natural consequence of the warming of our planet is the rise in sea level. When water heats up, it expands and so the sea level rises when ocean water warms. Ice melts when exposed to heat and the resultant water then runs into the ocean which leads to the rise in the sea water. The sea level has remained constant or relatively stable since thousands of years and various human civilizations and communities have been discovered to have settled along the coastlines of rivers and water bodies. But at present, sea level rise has reached about eight inches since the beginning of the 20th century and more than two inches in the merely last 20 years.
Global Warming is Warning us Through Sea Level Rising and Icecaps Melting
If we ask to ourselves that are the effects of global warming that bad, we would be able to answer it ourselves that yes, they are. They are bad to such an extent that even a superficially average temperature rise is enough to cause a dramatic transformation of our planet.
A natural consequence of the warming of our planet is the rise in sea level. When water heats up, it expands and so the sea level rises when ocean water warms. Ice melts when exposed to heat and the resultant water then runs into the ocean which leads to the rise in the sea water. The sea level has remained constant or relatively stable since thousands of years and various human civilizations and communities have been discovered to have settled along the coastlines of rivers and water bodies. But at present, sea level rise has reached about eight inches since the beginning of the 20th century and more than two inches in the merely last 20 years.
All such signs report the accelerating speed of the rise in the sea level. NASA and other agencies have been actively monitoring the ocean warming and the changes in the mass of the planet, but the biggest concern that we face at present is that we seem option less and helpless when we hear of the ancient ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica sending out continuous alerts that a warming planet is affecting their stability.
Palo climatic record has shown the possibility of sea level rise of much as 10 feet in a century or two as an after effect of ice sheets falling apart rapidly. The regional differences in sea level rise are affected by ocean currents and natural cycles such as El Nino phenomenon of Pacific Ocean and Pacific Decadal Oscillation. With the continuous melting of the natural causes by the melt water, these natural causes are also the most significant contributor to overall sea level rise.
It was not long ago, when determining of polar land ice was tricky for scientists. They in the early 1900s were not able to determine if the polar ice was growing, shrinking or in balance. But thanks to the satellites and airborne missions, we can avail the information regarding the mechanisms which determine the contributors to the growth and shrinkage of polar ice.
These estimates have also helped us to correctly observe the world's frozen regions and the annual ice losses from Greenland and Antarctica in last decade. This has helped how much sea level has been changing -as measured by satellite for the past 23 years and also in determining how much sea level rise is caused by the loss of land ice.
Humans are the cause : The number one cause of global warming are the human influences and this has been reported by the National Climate Assessment. The carbon pollution caused by burning fossil fuels remains the prime concern and the destruction of forests on mass scale has deteriorated the pollution-capturing capacity of the environment. The gases releases into the pollutants such as carbon dioxide, methane, soot and other pollutants behave like a blanket that traps the sun's heat and cause the planet to warm rapidly. As per the studies and the evidences, in the last 1300 years; the years 2000 to 2009 were hotter than any other decade and this warming is shifting the climate system that includes its land, atmosphere, oceans and ice in far-reaching ways.
With the rise in temperature, the disasters like storms, heat waves, floods and droughts have also worsened. These result into an atmosphere that can collect, retain and drop more water leading to changing weather patterns in such a way that wet areas become wetter become drier. Due to the warming atmosphere, there have been increasing num intense storms and floods which have dumped more moisture further posing risk to public safety and health. Drought conditions endanger the access to clean drinking water, fuel out-of-control wildfires and result into dust storms, extreme heat events and flash flooding. Lack of water around the world has led to serious diseases and death. On the opposite end, heavier rains can cause the rivers, streams and lakes to overflow which further damage life and property contaminate drinking water, lead to hazardous material spills and promotes mold infestation and unhealthy air. Warmer and wetter the air, more likely it is for food borne and waterborne illnesses and disease carrying insects like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks to brood and grow.
Not just this, climate change has also become the biggest global health threat of the 21st century and is a threat that impacts us all especially children, elderly and low income communities and minorities directly or indirectly. With spiking temperature, there is a sudden spear in incidence of illness, emergency room visits and death as well.
So, we witness hotter day in places where once people experienced normal temperature conditions. A number of heat related deaths have been reported each year due to direct impacts and indirect effects of heat exacerbated, life threatening illnesses which entail a long list such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. It is no more surprising to know that extreme heat kills more people around the planet each year on average, than hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning and floods combined.
Moreover, increase in ground level ozone; which is the main component of smog; is another factor that's gifted by rising temperature and that worsens air pollution. This pollution from cars, factories and other sources react to sunlight and heat. With the undergoing rapid changes in sea and land, animals inhabiting them are also doomed to disappear if they aren't able to adapt quickly to the changing conditions. While many face seasonal behaviors and traditional migration patterns, others experience increased extinction risk due to climate change. Oceans become more acidic due to absorption of our excess emissions by a large part of the seas; further posing threat to underwater life.
Climate change overall is promising a frightening future and its growing alarmingly, with no back door escape or exit for us. With the pumping of a century's worth of pollution into the air in nearly unchecked fashion; we are inviting the end of this beautiful planet day by day. It's high time; we pull up our socks and come ahead together to combat the consequences of climate change not just at a global level but from very basic units such as community and locality as well.
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