Arctic ice loss: Overview and consequences

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

7 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

04/06/2009

Category :

Political science

Sub category :

Ecology & environment

Oboulo.com selection criteria

$ 14.95 Add to cart

Summary :

Introduction
Extent of ice losses
Global warming as the major cause of arctic ice loss
1. Role of carbon dioxide
2. Role of methane
3. Role of nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons
4. The role of water vapour
Consequences of arctic ice loss
1. Impact on local environment
2. Rise in sea levels
3. Permafrost and the vicious cycle
Conclusion: what can be done
References

Abstract

The high latitude arctic regions receive less energy in the form of solar radiation or sunlight compared to other parts of the world. This results in large areas of seawater in this region freezing to form pack ice. Every summer, when the sun's energy falls on the earth in a higher intensity compared to other times of the year, some of the arctic ice melts and flows into the world's oceans. This arctic ice and its annual summer melt assume significance as it has a substantial impact on the climate and ecology of the earth. For this reason, satellites have been tracking this phenomenon since 1978.Scientists at the National Snow and ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) observe that since 2002 CE, the summertime melting of arctic ice started earlier than usual, and the quantity of ice loss has increased at an alarming pace. Since 2002 CE, nearly 502,000 square miles of arctic ice has melted and flown into the oceans of the world and the average amount of ice left in the arctic region between 2002 and 2008 is twenty percent less than the average amount between 1978 and 2002. The minimum extent of sea ice in the arctic fell by more than a million square kilometers in 2007, the biggest decline ever.