¡Descarga Effects of global warming y más Apuntes en PDF de Inglés solo en Docsity! Effects of Global Warming The signs of global warming are everywhere and more complex than climbing temperatures. VIEW IMAGES A polar bear stands sentinel on Rudolf Island in Russia’s Franz Josef Land archipelago, where the perennial ice is melting. PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY RICHARDS The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole. Since 1906, the global average surface temperature has increased between 1.1 and 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.6 to 0.9 degrees Celsius)–even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future–signs of the effects of global warming are appearing right now. The heat is melting glaciers and sea ice, shifting precipitation patterns, and setting animals on the move. The planet is already suffering from some impacts of global warming. ■ Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. ■ Many species have been impacted by rising temperatures. For example, researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years. ■ The sea level has been rising more quickly over the last century. ■ Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas. ■ Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average. ■ Some invasive species are thriving. For example, spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees. GLOBAL WARMING 101 Global warming could do more than just melt polar ice. It could change our maps, and displace people from cities and tropical islands. Other effects could take place later this century, if warming continues. ■ Sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59 centimeters) by the end of the century, and continued melting at the poles could add between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters). ■ Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger. ■ Floods and droughts will become more common. Rainfall in Ethiopia, where droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50 years. ■ Less fresh water will be available. If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either. ■ Some diseases will spread, such as mosquito-borne malaria (and the 2016 resurgence of the Zika virus). Ecosystems will change: Some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct. ■ Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to
