- Overview
- The Basic Science
- Effects of Climate Change
- Uncertain Future
- Global Initiatives
Effects of Climate Change
Eleven of the last twelve years (1995 -2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850). IPCC WG1.
Some Recent Environmental Observations
| Melting Polar Ice Caps Satellite data collected by NASA since 1979 shows that sea ice in the Arctic is contracting at a rate of 9% per decade. Learn more... Health The World Health Organisation (WHO) "World Health Report, 2002" states that climate change that occurred since the climate baseline period 1961-1990 was estimated to have caused 150,000 deaths and 5.5 million DALYS in the year 2000. Learn more... Coral Reef Bleaching As 27 percent of monitored reef formations have been lost and as much as 32 percent are at risk of being lost within the next 32 years. Learn more... Marine and freshwater biological systems There is high confidence, based on substantial new evidence that observed changes in marine and freshwater biological systems are associated with rising water temperatures. Learn more... Natural and Human Systems Recent climate changes and climate variations are beginning to have effects on many other natural and human systems. Learn more... Extreme Weather Events and Damage Cost Economic damage as a result of extreme weather events has dramatically increased over the last few decades. Learn more... |
Melting Polar Ice Caps:
Satellite data collected by NASA since 1979 shows that sea ice in the Arctic is contracting at a rate of 9% per decade
Melting of the Ice sheets, particularly land based ice such as in Greenland and the Antarctic would almost certainly lead to corresponding rises in the world's sea levels. An average rise in global sea levels of just a few inches could have devastating effects on coastal areas and ecosystems.
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| Side by side comparison of sea-ice from 1979 and 2003 Source: NASA |
Ice plays an important role in regulating the Earth's temperature.
Ice reflects sunlight back into space, when ice cover is depleted less energy is reflected. Instead it is absorbed into land and sea thus raising the overall temperature and speeding up the process of global warming.
The IPCC report "Climate Change 2007: A Physical Science Basis" states:
"With regard to changes in snow, ice and frozen ground (including permafrost), there is high confidence that natural systems are affected.
Examples are:
- Enlargement and increased numbers of glacial lakes
- Increasing ground instability in permafrost regions, and rock avalanches in mountain regions
- Changes in some Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems, including those in sea-ice biomes, and also predators high in the food chain"
Links to learn more
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/1023esuice.html
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm
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Health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) "World Health Report, 2002" states climate change that occurred since the climate baseline period 1961-1990 was estimated to have caused 150,000 deaths and 5.5 million DALYS in the year 2000.
Health Risks associated with continued climate change include death and destruction brought about by increased extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and hurricanes.
Infectious diseases, especially those transmitted via insect vectors and or water, are sensitive to climatic conditions.
Links to learn more
http://www.who.int/globalchange/climate/summary/en/
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Coral Reef Bleaching
According to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) “climate change is leading to a rise in sea temperatures, which causes the bleaching of coral colonies -- the whitening of coral reefs due to the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae (microscopic yellow-green alga) from the tissues of coral polyps. This loss exposes the white, calcium carbonate skeletons of the coral and is what we call coral bleaching”. 
The health of Carysfort Reef off the coast of Florida has declined dramatically in the past 25 years. Coral that was healthy in 1975 are visibly sick by 1985, and dead and broken by 1995. Source: NASA, Photographs Philip Dustan, College of Charleston.
According to NASA;
“Over the past 50 years, humans have put an enormous amount of pressure on coral reef environments by altering their waters and tearing up their foundations. From dynamite fishing to global warming, we are rapidly sending the world's reefs into oblivion. The latest reports state that as much as 27 percent of monitored reef formations have been lost and as much as 32 percent are at risk of being lost within the next 32 years”.
“In late 2005, coral reefs in the wider Caribbean suffered a widespread and the most severe bleaching event recorded to date that has resulted in extensive coral death in much of the region. Coral bleaching is associated with a variety of stresses including increased sea surface temperatures, which causes corals to expel the pigmented symbiotic micro algae living in their tissues, and thus appear bleached. Bleaching can lead to death of the corals that provide critical habitats and nursery grounds for marine fisheries, tourist attraction, and protection of coastlines from severe storms and wave action”
Links to learn more
http://worldwildlife.org/coral/threats.cfm
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Coral/
http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/coral-health/
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Marine and freshwater biological systems
The IPCC report "Climate Change 2007: A Physical Science Basis" states:
- "There is high confidence, based on substantial new evidence, that observed changes in marine and freshwater biological systems are associated with rising water temperatures, as well as related changes in ice cover, salinity, oxygen levels and circulation.These include:
- Shifts in ranges and changes in algal, plankton and fish abundance in high-latitude oceans.
- Increases in algal and zooplankton abundance in high-latitude and high-altitude lakes
- Range changes and earlier migrations of fish in rivers
- The uptake of anthropogenic carbon since 1750 has led to the ocean becoming more acidic with an average decrease in pH of 0.1 units. However, the effects of observed ocean acidification on the marine biosphere are as yet undocumented"
Links to learn more
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm http://assets.panda.org/downloads/fisherie_web_final.pdf
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Natural and Human Systems
The IPCC report "Climate Change 2007: A Physical Science Basis" states:
"Recent climate changes and climate variations are beginning to have effects on many other natural and human systems. However, based on the published literature, the impacts have not yet become established trends.
Examples include:
- Settlements in mountain regions are at enhanced risk to glacier lake outburst floods caused by melting glaciers. Governmental institutions in some places have begun to respond by building dams and drainage works.
- In the Sahelian region of Africa, warmer and drier conditions have led to a reduced length of growing season with detrimental effects on crops. In southern Africa, longer dry seasons and more uncertain rainfall are prompting adaptation measures.
- Sea-level rise and human development are together contributing to losses of coastal wetlands and mangroves and increasing damage from coastal flooding in many areas"
Links to learn more
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm
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Extreme Weather Events and Damage Cost
Economic damage as a result of extreme weather events has dramatically increased over the last few decades.
Recent scientific research indicates growing evidence that there has been an increase in tropical cyclone intensity over the past decades. Findings also suggest that the occurrences of major tropical cyclones are linked to rising sea surface temperatures. A recent review by the American Geophysical Union states that “there are strong theoretical reasons to expect that warming of the oceans has already led to more intense hurricanes and will continue to effect tropical storm characteristics"
Links to learn more
www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/xweather.pdf
www.swissre.com Climate Change fact sheet
www.agu.org
Uncertain Future...
