Climate Change

The Arctic Sea Ice is melting or slowly disappearing and it is said to be one of the reasons of global warming. What is happens is that the Arctic Ice it melts a little and gets smaller during the summer season and than during the winter season the ice gets bigger and expands over the Arctic Ocean, “a freeze-thaw cycle that in the Arctic has been dramatically altered by global warming (Global Warming Effects).” The Arctic Sea Ice in the past could grow up to 3 meters, which is around 10 feet, but now the average thick ness is becoming much less, and some scientist are afraid that in a few decades there might not be any sea ice during the summer (Global Warming Effects). Another major thing that has been discovered is that the amount of ice

In September the sea ice reaches its minimum amount. Every September the arctic sea ice declines at a rate of 13.4 percent per decade.The glaciers have estimated to have been losing mass since the 1970s. Antarctica has been losing about 134 billion metric tons of ice per year since 2002. In 2007 the arctic ice decreased dramatically, but around 2013 the sea ice started to recover.

Besides the direct effect of sea level rise, coastal flooding may also be a more prevalent and severe issue. For example, “sea level rise of two feet, without any changes in storms, would more than triple the frequency of dangerous coastal flooding throughout most of the Northeast” (Horton 374). The higher seas would increase the initial level, so that the flooding level would be much greater, especially during hurricanes. Recent hurricanes have become a good example of how much damage can occur to both humans and animals. For example, much of the coastal infrastructure is in danger of damage, which can affect commerce and the public’s health and safety: “In New York State, two feet of sea level rise is estimated...To flood or render unusable 212 miles of road, 77 miles of rail, 3,647 acres of airport facilities, and 539 acres of runways” (Horton 379). This loss of infrastructure may occur in every coastal Northeast state, especially in the south. In these southern Northeast states, the land is flat, which makes them easier to inundate with water. In addition to infrastructure, transportation is also at risk, with much of the major highways (I-95) and trains (Amtrak) at risk of coastal damage (Horton 380). More affected by sea level rise, ecosystems near water may be permanently damaged in upcoming years, and according to Rob Deconto, a climate scientist at University of

To backup his claim, Booker states, “The European Space Agency in 2013 and 2014 revealed that after years when the volume of Arctic ice had been diminishing, it increased again by as much as 33 percent” (Booker 2015). While some may be thrown off by his statistic, we must look at how accurate his fact is regarding to the European Space Agency's claim. In fact on European Space Agency’s website, the agency actually claimed that “between 2011

As Earth’s surface temperature rises, the ocean also becomes hotter which results in an increase in sea level and decrease in Earth’s ice. “The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969” (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”). Since greenhouse gases are trapping energy from the sun, the oceans absorb more heat which ultimately increases surface temperature. Oceans are able to absorb large amounts of heat energy because water has a greater heat capacity than air. As oceans become warmer, the frozen water on Earth melts at an accelerated pace. The thickness of Arctic Sea ice has dramatically declined throughout the last several decades. “Arctic sea ice

In the Ian Eisenman, Tapio Schneider, Davis Battisti, and Cecilia Bitz’s article “Consistent Changes in the Sea Ice Seasonal Cycle in Response to Global Warming”, published in Journal of Climate, authors describes and illustrates how global warming affect arctic ice. Authors explain that even though, changes in distribution in ice on both hemispheres of earth looks different it is only due to geological factors. However, in conclusion, the rate of withdrawal of the ice is drastic on both hemispheres, and it is mostly due to global warming.

Climate change can be drastic in the Arctic. It is exceedingly different from climate change in different parts of the world.

The climate is changing in the Arctic. The temperatures are rising which is causing the sea temperatures to rise. This rise in temperature is causing sea ice and the glaciers to

Sea levels are rising all over our planet although coastal regions suffer from it the most. Already, more than 90 coastal communities in the United States are battling chronic flooding, meaning the kind of flooding that’s so unmanageable it prompts people to move away. That number is expected to roughly double to more than 170 communities in less than 20 years. In the 1990s is when this problem was taken into consideration, although by this time sea levels had raised 20 cm over the years.

Recently, arctic sea ice has been melting due to global warming. In 1984, there was 1.86 square kilometers of “old sea ice” and now there is only 110,000 square kilometers of the “old sea ice.” usually, as the atmosphere gets warmer, the new ice melts faster but the old ice is not melted away completely. Now, the old ice is getting weaker and melting faster due to global warming/climate change. This is an issue because as the earth gets hotter, the old ice will no longer get thicker, which helped keep ice on the sea. If there is no old ice, there is a chance that there will be no sea ice at all.

A recent study has shown that Arctic Sea ice could disappear entirely by the summer of 2045.[4] Less than 30 years away, this date is far sooner than other models have predicted, which places our planet in dire need of reform. The reason this date is closer than previously thought is because of a breakthrough in how CO2 and sea ice loss relate to each other.

Flood risk has increased in New York City due to storm surges and human-caused sea level rising, such as melting glaciers. The sea level has increased drastically from 850 to 1800 between the years of 1970 and 2005. "Prior to 1800, a flood that was 2.25 m (7.4 ft) above sea level occurred once every 500 years. Since 1970, a storm of that size occurs approximately every 24 years" (Worland, 2015). New York City was severely affected in November 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. At least 53 people were killed as a result of the storm and caused $32 billion in damage. A professional emergency management system has been put into effect in New York City. The city has published and utilized evacuation zone maps, which have shown effectiveness. Due to the levels throughout the city, only about 30 percent of the population would have to be evacuated and would not have to move too far inland to higher areas. Damage and property loss are problems to still deal with,

The question of whether or not climate change is taken seriously by powerful government officials is at the root of the problem. Poor funding for infrastructure mitigation techniques can bottleneck preparation efforts. The combination of growing populations and increased development in coastal cities has increased the vulnerability and potential for loss of life and property (Urbina, E., & Wolshon, B. 2003). Environmental experts project sea levels to increase by more than 2.5 feet over the next four decades (Coastal Care 2014) and if not properly managed right now, this could put around 800,000 people’s homes underwater in the event of another super storm. In a U.S. Commerce Department report (Commerce 2013) it projected a staggering 72 billion USD in combined damages for New York and New Jersey during the storm.

A natural process or event, which becomes a potential threat to human life and property, is known as a natural hazard (Keller and DeVecchio 2012). Sea ice covers about 7.3% of Earth’s surface, or about 11.8% of the surface of the World Ocean (Weeks 2010). During the summer it reflects sunlight back into the space and during winter it radiates heat into the space. Sea ice acts as a large lid on the polar oceans controlling the exchange of heat and mass across the ocean-sea ice-atmosphere interface, thus playing a significant role in the Earth’s climate system. The accelerated melting of Arctic sea ice in recent decades may have long-term impact on the Earth’s climate likely to affect the lives and property of billions of humans (Stroeve et

Based on observations and predictions conducted by scientists, sea ice extent though fluctuates up and down since 1979, the general trend of sea ice retreat in an approximately synchronized increase in