...Global Warming in the Arctic Myles Ross November 15th, 2013 Throughout the past 100 years, climate change has been a very noticeable issue worldwide. The speed of temperature excursion has been the highest it’s been since the Stone Age (Module 7). Climate Change can be considered caused through greenhouse gases, water vapor, albedo and solar radiation (Model 7). Combined, these factors cause radioactive forcing, which highly contributes to the Earth’s energy balance (Module 7). The change in Earths energy balance has had a large influence on the increase in mean global temperature (Module 7). Now that the factors of Global warming have been discussed, overviewing the causes of the issue will be beneficial to determine possible solutions for the changing climate. Scientists have determined human activity as being a significant cause of global climate change. According to Module 7, humans are responsible for 93% of the total change in climate. The source of human causation can be through an impacted on the greenhouse gas effect and land-type conversions (Module 7). As the world becomes continually warmer, the effect of climate change in the arctic regions becomes more intense. Within the past 50 years, arctic regions in Canada have experienced warming of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). One of the most important areas in the Canadian arctic is the Cryosphere (Appendix A), which is the area consisting of season snow cover, permafrost glaciers, and...
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...of the Arctic Oscillation] (Vizcarra, 2015). As I mentioned earlier, all the short period climate oscillation is fluctuating between 2 stages. An Arctic Oscillation has two phases, the positive and negative. When Figure 3 [Pressure in Positive and Negative Phase] (NOAA, 2014). pressure is high in the Arctic and low in mid-latitudes, the Arctic Oscillation is in its negative phase while in the positive phases, the pattern is reversed. Positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation brings ocean storms farther to North, making the weather wetter in Alaska and around that regions. Whereas it brings drier weather in the Western US. So basically, higher pressure limits the cold air to Arctic. It also keeps weather warmer than normal in the Eastern US, but...
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...The Arctic and subarctic regions Compared with other biomes, the tundra biome is relatively young, having its origin in the Pleistocene (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago). Individual plant and animal species of the tundra, however, probably first appeared in the Late Miocene (11.2 to 5.3 million years ago) or Early Pliocene (5.3 to 3.4 million years ago). Coniferous forests were present on Ellesmere Island and in northern Greenland, the northernmost land areas, in the mid-Pliocene (2.5 million years ago). Most paleoecologists believe that tundra flora evolved from plants of the coniferous forests and alpine areas as continents drifted into higher and cooler latitudes during the Miocene (23.7 to 5.3 million years ago). The Antarctic region Antarctica has been isolated from other continental landmasses by broad expanses of ocean since early in the Tertiary Period, about 60 to 40 million years ago. Prior to its separation it existed, along with Australia, South America, peninsular India, and Africa, as part of the landmass known as Gondwanaland. This long separation has impeded the establishment and development of land-based flora and fauna in the Antarctic. Other significant factors that have hampered terrestrial biotic evolution are the harsh climate, the ice cover that completely engulfed the continent during the Pleistocene glaciations, and the present limited number of ice-free land areas, which are restricted primarily to the coastal fringes and nunataks (mountain peaks surrounded...
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...Alexander Camarillo Biology 7 Professor Livio Ecology Paper: Tundra The tundra biome is found in North America, Asia, and Europe, and well as encompasses the Arctic Ocean. The term “Tundra” comes from the Finnish word “tunturia”, which means treeless or barren land. There are three types of tundras: the Alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic. Artic Tundra extends from the edge of the Arctic Ocean to the coniferous forest of the Taiga. Examples of the Arctic Tundra include the northern parts of Alaska and Canada, as well as Siberia. Alpines tundras occur on mountains where trees cannot grow in high latitudes. The alpine occurs at almost any latitude, and can be found at elevations of 10,000 feet and above. Because of it’s high elevation the alpine Tundra has a similar climate to the Arctic Tundra. Examples of alpine tundras include: Himalayas, the Rocky Mountains, and the Alaska Range Alpines tundra occurs on mountains where trees cannot grow in high latitudes. The growing season is about 180 days per year. Mountain goats, sheer, marmots, and birds feed on low-lying plants and insects. The alpines can be cold and dry with a short growing season. Some well-known places that are considered alpine tundra are the Himalayas, the Rocky Mountains, and the Alaska Range. Some of the animals that inhabit the alpines include, mountain goats,...
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...threat. (10) Some groups and communities view the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet as an opportunity rather than a threat because the melting ice creates some commercial advantages for the Arctic region; the Northern Sea Route, North of Canada, is the quickest way of travelling from Europe to the Pacific and Asia. This also increases the tourism opportunities because 30% of Inuit earn income from sculpture and printmaking for tourists, as the tourist ships are able to transport to the northern Canada. As the rapidly melting ice offers commercial opportunities in shipping, tourism and oil and gas extraction, the world’s largest economies are struggling but as well as trying to achieve and get hold of the region within the Arctic. A region in the Arctic thought to be contain 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13%% of undiscovered oil. In addition, more oil can be used by groups of Inuit for essentials like the uses of fossil fuels. In Alaska, due to the new drilling activity, it creates new job opportunities and incomes for the local economy, which means more Inuit, get the job opportunities like this. Furthermore, there are currently four more mining operation being setting up and soon, it will provide jobs for natives in Greenland. In 2007, the Northwest Passage between Canada and Arctic melted enough to allow shipping for the first time and also allow more opportunities for activities like offshore oil exploration. Analysts think the economic impact could be important because...
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...Contract We start with an example of a simple forward contract. Arctic Fuels, the heating-oil distributor, plans to deliver one million gallons of heating oil to its retail customers next January. Arctic worries about high heating-oil prices next winter and wants to lock in the cost of buying its supply. Northern Refineries is in the opposite position. It will produce heating oil next winter, but doesn't know what the oil can be sold for. So the two firms strike a deal: Arctic Fuels agrees in September to buy one million gallons from Northern Refineries at $1.60 per gallon, to be paid on delivery in January. Northern agrees to sell and deliver one million gallons to Arctic in January at $1.60 per gallon. Arctic and Northern are now the two counterparties in a forward contract. The forward price is $1.60 per gallon. This price is fixed today, in September in our example, but payment and delivery occur later. (The price for immediate delivery is called the spot price Price of asset for immediate delivery (in contrast to forward or futures price).Arctic, which has agreed to buy in January, has the long position in the contract. Northern Refineries, which has agreed to sell in January, has the short position. Both companies have eliminated a business risk: Arctic has locked in its costs, and Northern has locked in its revenues for one million gallons of output. Do not confuse this forward contract with an option. Arctic does not have the option to buy. It has committed to buy, even...
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...Tundra Biome The arctic tundra is the worlds youngest biome. it contains the last set of continental glaciers from about 10,000 years ago. As the glacier went away it scraped away the soil from underneath, leaving bare rock. Before plants were able to grow the arctic tundra had to develop soil. Soil forms very slowly on the tundra because the cold weather slows the rate at which chemical reactions occur. Only a thi layer of soil has formed in the thousands of years since the glaciers retreated. The Southern part of this tundra is mostly made up of bare rock. There is little plant life in the tundra biome because the soil there isn't nutritious for certain plants to grow. The soil there is very much like sand, and the plant there have made many adaptations to survive in the tundra. Many of the plants have formed fuzzy hairs to keep warm, and some have developed a low root system or grow close to the ground to prevent permafrost and to keep out of the winds path. The plants of the arctic tundra have developed special characteristics so they can live in the tundra. Many animals inhabit the tundra. Each animal has adapted in their own special way. The Arctic Fox and Polar Bear both have thick coats to keep them warm in the freezing climate. The Caribou better known as the Reindeer have long antlers, and very large hooves to help climb up steep mountains or rocks. Every animal in the tundra has something to help them with the chilly climate. The arctic tundra is found in Alaska...
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...The Arctic's polar ice caps have been melting more drastically because of the increase in temperature. The ice began to melt, and the melted water was resting above the layer of ice, on July 13 of 2013 during a month of abnormally warm weather. The rising of temperatures across the globe has caused the Northern hemisphere to find itself affected by the depletion of the ozone layer, the wind and water currents, human activities and gas emissions. (Ice Caps Melt in the North Pole... Again, 2013). In the Antarctic, the temperatures are still enough below freezing that if there was to be a rise in temperatures in the slightest caused by global warming, the temperatures are sufficiently cold to In the Antarctic, which prevents extensive melting of the ice sheets, which could cause sea level rise (Polar Ice Fact Sheet : Feature Articles,...
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...Arctic tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere, north of the taiga belt. The word "tundra" usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. (It may also refer to the treeless plain in general, so that northern Sápmi would be included.) Permafrost tundra includes vast areas of northern Russia and Canada.[2] The polar tundra is home to several peoples who are mostly nomadic reindeer herders, such as the Nganasan and Nenets in the permafrost area (and the Sami in Sápmi). Tundra in Siberia Arctic tundra contains areas of stark landscape and is frozen for much of the year. The soil there is frozen from 25–90 cm (10–35 in) down, and it is impossible for trees to grow. Instead, bare and sometimes rocky land can only support low growing plants such as moss, heath (Ericaceae varieties such as crowberry and black bearberry), and lichen. There are two main seasons, winter and summer, in the polar tundra areas. During the winter it is very cold and dark, with the average temperature around −28 °C (−18 °F), sometimes dipping as low as −50 °C (−58 °F). However, extreme cold temperatures on the tundra do not drop as low as those experienced in taiga areas further south (for example, Russia's and Canada's lowest temperatures were recorded in locations south of the tree line). During the summer, temperatures rise somewhat, and the top layer of the permafrost melts, leaving the ground very soggy. The tundra is covered in marshes, lakes, bogs...
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...bear fur, their meat being one of the main sources of food for the native people of the north, and tourist not being careful when visiting polar bear habitats, the polar bear population in Canada has started to decline at a rate which may cause them to become endangered and then extinct in the near future. Now with polar bears being the main predators in the North Pole and the largest land predators in the world, a threat to the polar bear population is a very big deal and would have a big impact on the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems up in the northern regions. Polar bears...
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...Taylor Mills ENG102-16798 15 October, 2014 Peer Review Arctic Wildlife Refuge: Controversy Drilling in Alaska has been debated for more than a decade and this topic is still unsettled. Oil companies are urging the United States and the Alaskan government to let them start drilling for the good of the United States economy; the essence of this complicated conflict splits in two main arguments that the Arctic contains a significant oil discovery and will bring more opportunities for Americans, on the opposing view the Arctic contains the last true “Wilderness” in the country. Both viewpoints are debatable and hold good points while drilling could save the United States millions, environmentalist argue that it will do little good for the United...
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...The fast melting Arctic region has emerged as a conflicting and controversial topic for many countries. Due to the increasing effects of global warming, the Arctic icecap is said to be melting faster than expected. The meltdown has decreased the area covered by ice, substantially reducing the Arctic icecap to only half the size it was 50 years ago. This irreversible warming can be seen as beneficial due to its great economic potential and has consequently provided the Arctic with strong regional significance. This global issue of climate change is presenting numerous challenges to Canada and the United States. The Yukon Territory and Alaska, both located in the northwest, are directly experiencing the consequences of this meltdown. The neighboring allies will definitely witness a change in their special relationship while combating this issue of climate change. The three fronts which affect the Canada and U.S. relationship are environmental degradation in Alaska and Yukon, sovereignty and border disputes, and lastly the battle for the natural resources in the Arctic. The two approaches which will facilitate in comprehending and further analyzing these issues are realism and complex interdependence. Realism describes international politics as a struggle for power dominated by organized violence in an anarchic international system. Complex interdependence challenges the realist assumption while synthesizing elements of realism and liberalism. Complex interdependence rejects...
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...The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Around the solstice (June 21 in the north and December 21 in the south) and given fair weather the sun is visible for the full 24 hours. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the farther towards either pole one goes. Although approximately defined by the polar circles, in practice midnight sun can be seen as much as 90 km outside the polar circle, as described below, and the exact latitudes of the farthest reaches of midnight sun depend on topography and vary slightly year-to-year. There are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, so the countries and territories whose populations experience it are limited to the ones crossed by the Arctic Circle, e.g. Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Sápmi, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United States (Alaska), and extremities of Iceland. A quarter of Finland's territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and at the country's northernmost point the sun does not set at all for 60 days during summer. In Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, there is no sunset from approximately 19 April to 23 August. The extreme sites are the poles where the sun can be continuously visible for a half year. The opposite phenomenon, polar night, occurs...
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...David Salmon Midterm Geo111 North America: Location: The location of North America would be the Northern Hemisphere and almost within the Western Hemisphere. North America is made up of United States and Canada. An absolute location in the United States would be New York. Alaska is also in the upper Northern part of North America above Canada. While Canada has much cooler weather, The Unites States Varies in climate from the West Coast to the Northeast and North South. Place: North America has a vast amount of diversity in it's landforms. From Mountains to Beautiful beaches North America has a little bit of everything. Starting in the Rocky Mountains one of North Americas longest mountain range in the Western side, stretching all the way to Canada. Moving to the Southeast of the United States where we have plenty of Ocean with some of the most recognized beaches like Miami Beach in Florida and Cape May, New Jersey. In the Northern Side of North America there's also Alaska with it's beautiful views as for example Denali National Park. Interaction/Movement: In North America there's many Immigrants from other countries so there is an abundance of cultures around, as well as languages that are spoken throughout. English and Spanish are very common throughout the United States. Most of the Hispanic culture resides in the west side of the United States. In Canada the two languages that are spoken all over would be English and French. Canada was colonized by the french...
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...It is well known that the Arctic and Antarctic regions have harsh, cold winds, low temperatures and heavy snow fall, however, these environments are home to many species of birds and mammals which successfully survive and reproduce in spite of these extreme, seemingly uninhabitable conditions. They need special adaptations to help them survive and have many difficult obstacles to overcome including regulating and maintaining body temperature, coping with predation and with scarcity in food. The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and inhabits the arctic tundra environments of Eurasia, North America and the alpine tundra of Fennoscandia. Within the worldwide population there are several hundred thousand individuals (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2013). Populations vary in response to numbers in small mammals. They hunt lemmings, which are their main prey (Strand et. al., 1997), small birds and their eggs and also scavenge carcases in times where food is scarce (Hiruki and Stirling, 1989). Arctic foxes are relatively small mammals at around 3-8 kg. They have small ears, short noses, fur covering the pads on its feet. Its brush like tail aids in keeping its balance but is mostly used for insulation. During the winter arctic foxes have a thick white fur which provides camouflage against the white snowy expanse of the tundra and protection against the harsh environments, in the summer its coat becomes thinner and changes...
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