ICE
Melting sea ice
Throughout the year, Sea ice in polar regions — covering an average of two-and-a-half times the area of Canada — enables the production of algae that supports the Arctic food web. The ice offers refuge for migrating seabirds, hunting grounds for seals, polar bears, and other important species, and grazing depots for krill and fish. Increased carbon emissions from human activity is causing Earth’s atmosphere to warm, melting polar ice and adversely affecting these vital habitats. Sea ice gains thickness during winter and melts partially during the summer and autumn; with the climate warming at its current rate, the Arctic Ocean may be ice-free during the summer, leaving coastal communities exposed to storms.
Rising sea-levels
When water warms and ice melts, the sea-level goes up – jeopardizing communities, habitats and species from the Arctic to the Pacific islands and beyond. By the end of the century, sea levels could rise by up to 4 feet due to thermal expansion — seawater expands as it warms — and the increased meltwater from glaciers and continental ice caps. The 1.1°C rise in sea-surface temperature expected by 2025 will only accelerate the melting of ice caps.
Vulnerable communities
Climate change is a global issue – but the world’s low-lying regions face the most urgent threats to their livelihood. New water from melting ice combined with the expansion of warmer water is triggering the rapid rise of sea levels, leaving island nations and coastal communities prone to shoreline erosion, flooding and violent storms. These coastal populations — almost twice the population of the United States — contribute the least to climate change but are affected the most. Citizens of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati are among the world’s first refugees displaced due to sea-level rise; up to 30 percent of the country’s mangroves may be lost by 2100.
Throughout the year, Sea ice in polar regions — covering an average of two-and-a-half times the area of Canada — enables the production of algae that supports the Arctic food web. The ice offers refuge for migrating seabirds, hunting grounds for seals, polar bears, and other important species, and grazing depots for krill and fish. Increased carbon emissions from human activity is causing Earth’s atmosphere to warm, melting polar ice and adversely affecting these vital habitats. Sea ice gains thickness during winter and melts partially during the summer and autumn; with the climate warming at its current rate, the Arctic Ocean may be ice-free during the summer, leaving coastal communities exposed to storms.
Rising sea-levels
When water warms and ice melts, the sea-level goes up – jeopardizing communities, habitats and species from the Arctic to the Pacific islands and beyond. By the end of the century, sea levels could rise by up to 4 feet due to thermal expansion — seawater expands as it warms — and the increased meltwater from glaciers and continental ice caps. The 1.1°C rise in sea-surface temperature expected by 2025 will only accelerate the melting of ice caps.
Vulnerable communities
Climate change is a global issue – but the world’s low-lying regions face the most urgent threats to their livelihood. New water from melting ice combined with the expansion of warmer water is triggering the rapid rise of sea levels, leaving island nations and coastal communities prone to shoreline erosion, flooding and violent storms. These coastal populations — almost twice the population of the United States — contribute the least to climate change but are affected the most. Citizens of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati are among the world’s first refugees displaced due to sea-level rise; up to 30 percent of the country’s mangroves may be lost by 2100.
Source: http://www.conservation.org
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