Glaciers and Global Warming



Perhaps the best sign that global warming is upon us are the melting of most of the world’s glaciers.  Glaciers are large moving masses of ice.  They are our souvenirs from the last ice age.  Glaciers are the earth’s largest reservoirs for fresh water and the threat of global warming has triggered a phenomenon called glacial retreat.

Scientists site the increase of greenhouse gasses as the main cause of glacial retreat.  Studies show that glaciers all over the world have shown significant shrinkages over the years mainly due to the rapid rise of the earth’s temperatures.  Mountain ranges in the Andes, Himalayas, Alps, Rocky Mountains and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania have shown the most drastic glacial loss.

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Greenland Ice Melt Will Cause Severely High Sea Levels



Greenland’s ice sheets are melting and it is already exceeding its expected rate according to researchers. Because of this, there is a predicted sea level rise that is frighteningly severe for the years to come. Researchers fear that if it continually gains pace, some parts of the world will be erased permanently on the face of the Earth and worse, without any warning.

It was predicted that there would be 12-20 inches rise in sea levels if Greenland glaciers continue to melt and will ultimately affect North America and some of its neighboring cities. Not only will it affect those residing near coasts but it will also affect the drainage systems which will result to flooding of major cities all over the world.

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Natural and Human Threats to the Amazon’s Ecological Treasure



Rapid rise in global warming is expected to get worse as the world’s most important natural land sink for carbon dioxide – the Amazon rainforest – is facing threat from both natural and anthropogenic causes. On the one hand, the forest is being affected by drought while another threat to its ecological treasure lies ahead in the form of the human quest for fossil fuels.

Continual research on the Amazon rainforest, recently recapitulated in an international study led by Professor Oliver Phillips of the University of Leeds, has found an alarming rate of increase in the incidence of ‘tree deaths’ due to drought. According to the research, involving more than the 60 scientists from over 40 institutions in 13 countries, the CO2-absorbing capacity of the forest is steadily declining as drought is causing the death of more trees each year. This is particularly the case with Amazon’s palm trees, which are highly sensitive to dry climate.

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Australian Great Barrier Reef- Why it’s not growing much these days



Have you ever marvel on the beauty of the underwater lately? The amusing school of fishes that flocks in one corner of the sea, the beauty of the corals that colors the underworld, and the crystal blue water that blends perfectly with the thousand marine creatures that swims past the vast part of the ocean.

Well, if you could picture anything right now, it must be the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Included in one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is so large that it can be seen from the outer space and it is the world’s biggest single structure composed of and built by billion of tiny organisms called coral polyps.

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