Climate Change - Arctic

Question 1

How is global warming directly affecting the Arctic

Answer 1

The area of arctic sea ice has been shrinking at an increasing rate -some scientists believe there won’t be any sea ice in the summer of 2030
The Greenland ice sheet is melting -most scientists think the rate of melting has increased in recent years
The permafrost boundary is moving north, and the area covered by permafrost is shrinking
The feeling is moving north and the area where trees can’t grow is shrinking

Question 2

Environmental impacts global warming is having on the Arctic

Answer 2

1. Melting of ice sheets like the Greenland ice sheet will mean an injection of fresh water into the sea -causes changes in the density of the water and could disrupt ocean currents like the North Atlantic drift
2. Thawing of permafrost releases more CO2 and methane -permafrost is a natural sink

Question 3

Ecological impacts global warming is having on the Arctic

Answer 3

1. Changing climatic regions means the habitats if some species are reduced or lost -eg. polar breaks use areas of sea ice to hunt for food, as this is lost polar breaks may become endangered in the wild
2. Some parts of the Arctic have very sensitive ecosystems -there are few species, so the loss of one may have a devastating impact (food web)
3. In other parts of the Arctic, like the ocean, the number and biodiversity of species (eg fish) may increase as sea ice coverage is reduced and temperatures increase

Question 4

Socio-economic impacts global warming is having on the Arctic

Answer 4

1. Shrinking sea ice could open up new shipping routes in the summer
2. New natural resources may be exploited -eg. less sea ice increases the area available for fishing
3. Undiscovered oil and gas reserves in the Arctic -unfrozen ground would make them easier to find/extract
4. Access to new resources may lead to conflict over who owns them (which country)
5. Warmer soils and climate may increase the opportunity for agriculture and industry
6. Thawing of permafrost can result in collapsed buildings and broken pipelines where ground has become less stable

Question 5

How is the world unfair

Answer 5

It is not necessarily the people causing climate change who are most affected
As with the Arctic, the greatest environmental and ecological damage often happens away from those causing the problems

Question 6

What are the consequences that the Arctic warming has for the rest of the world

Answer 6

1. Melting ice sheets will add to rising global sea levels
2. Ocean currents in the Arctic are affected by salinity changes (freshwater from melting ice sheets changes the density of the water), which affects global ocean currents because they operate as an interlinked system
3. Changing temperatures, sea ice and landscapes affect air currents on the Arctic -also affects global weather patterns because the atmosphere also operates as an interlinked system

Question 7

Where is he Arctic

Answer 7

Area around the North Pole

Includes northern parts of Asia, North America and Europe