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Bianka Vega
Dr. Robert Giacosie
Bio 102
Feb. 12, 2016
Global Warming
Global warming is the gradual rise in temperature in the Earths atmosphere and oceans. Global
Warming is a major problem seen throughout the world. According to the website,
www.ucar.edu/learn, In the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the type of surface that
sunlight first encounters is the most important factor. Forests, grasslands, ocean
surfaces, ice caps, deserts, and cities all absorb, reflect, and radiate radiation
differently.(1) This means that different areas of the world handle heat in different
ways such as absorbing and reflecting it. Global warming can cause catastrophic changes

in the environment such as climate change, changes in water temperature, and destruction of
ecosystems such as fish population.
To begin with, global warming is a major problem which causes climate change throughout
the world. Climate change can cause very dry areas and also heavy rainfall in other areas. It can
also cause the levels in the ocean to rise which could contaminate freshwater. Climate change
has greatly affected many fresh water sources like the Colorado River. It is expected that half of
the Colorado Rivers water will be gone by 2050. According to a study done by the University of
Colorado, The river supplies drinking and irrigation water for about 30 million people from
Colorado to the Gulf of California If climate change results in 20 percent reduction, the
chances of fully depleting reservoir storage will exceed 50 percent by 2057.(2) This study

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shows that there would no longer be a storage supply of water if the temperatures continue the
way that their study has planned. This also shows that the depletion of the Colorado River would
greatly affect the people of the west coast.
More importantly, fish are greatly affected by the greenhouse effect . Freshwater fish need a
certain amount of water to be able to swim upstream during their annual migration but the
increase in temperature due to the greenhouse effect had made it difficult for them to do so. If
they are not able to swim upstream to lay their eggs, the fish population will dramatically
decrease. Because of this decrease in the fish population many cities are banning fishing in
rivers and streams. According to Meg Hanleys article American Rivers, Lack of rain has
exposed gravel bars that make it impossible for fish to reach their native streams and has left
redds, cluster of salmon eggs, exposed to the air as water levels continue to drop. Eggs that are
released in the river cannot develop in water fragments less than 100 kilometers long. So even if
the fish was able to migrate up stream to release its eggs, it does not guarantee that they will
develop into a new generation of fish.(3)
Also when water levels drop the temperatures rise due to the greenhouse effect. When the
temperatures rise in rivers, fish tend to look for cooler water to be better protected. According to
the national Geographic article called Green House Effect, As climates change, so do the
habitats for living things. Animals that are adapted to a certain climate may become
threatened. (4) Cooler water is usually found the deeper a fish swims down but because of the

lack of water, fish such as salmon are more disposed to predators.

Research has been done by

a professor of biology , Keith Gido and his team at Kansas State University. Gido said, As the
water levels decline, if you have a nonnative predator in the system, then the predators effects
are much stronger and have a more drastic effect a fish. We have seen a gradual decline in native

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diversity over time. The drought exacerbates any of the effects because with fragmentation, if
the stream is dry and the water is lower, the fish are unable to move around a barrier. (5) If the
fish are not able to move freely to a different part of a river, they are not able to protect
themselves the way they normally should which means that they are not able to reproduce the
way they generally can. Also the variety of fish in a river habitat will decrease and in some cases
will not return because the river is longer able to sustain them. This is a great example of how
climate change brings a new form of natural selection.
As ocean levels rise, fresh water seems to diminishing. Many people in other countries do
not have enough drinking water due to global warming. This is causing many to drink
contaminated water and some are even dying from lack of water. Not too long ago water
shortage was not on anyones mind and now it is a major world problem. One of the countries
that are greatly affected by the drought is Africa. According to the article, Water In CrisisSouth Africa it writes, Climate change has affected water supplies within the region. Rains
that usually come and supply the countrys water has come infrequently. (6) Because of the
lack of water many are stealing it from neighboring areas which is causing an increase in crime
in Africa. The water shortage is not only causing crime but also a food shortage.
Because of the effects that the Global Warming has had on many fresh water sources, many
agriculturalists are having to seek water a different way. According to Zach Guidos article
Coping with Drought on the Rio Grande, In many places in the Lower Rio Grande,
groundwater has been the saving grace during the last dry 10 years. Farmers and urban water
managers have supplemented meager surface water allotments by ramping up pumping,
lowering water levels in some areasPumping groundwater is also more costly than river water
and saltier, which over time can lower crop yields. For smaller farmers or those on tight budgets,

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pumping groundwater likely is only a short-term coping strategy and not sustainable policy. (7)
Pumping ground water is only a short term solution to the drought in the Rio Grande. Because
ground water is salter than the Rio Grande water, over time it will destroy their crops which will
hurt them economically.
In order to reduce the effects of global warming, water is also being leased to allow the
flow of fresh water to continue. The Colorado River is allowing water to be leased to the Yampa
River in order for the river to keep flowing at a healthy rate. The Colorado Water Trust has given
many benefits to the environment. One benefit is that the water temperature is beginning to drop
to healthier temperature levels for the aquatic life in the river. Also it is helping cool down the
surrounding area. Brent Gardner-Smiths article Colorado Water Trust wants to lease water to
benefit rivers, The leasing program is centered on a 2003 state law that allows water rights
owners to lease water to the CWCB for environmental purposes for three out of ten years,
without it lowering the value of a water rights historic consumptive use calculation- which is
the basis for determining the economic value of a water right. (8)
The effects of greenhouse effect can cause many catastrophic changes in the environment such
as climate change, destruction of ecosystems such as fish population, destruction in ecosystems
and just simply a lack of water for basic necessities..

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Work Cited
1) http:www.ucar.edu/learn/1_3_1.htm
4) http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/greenhouse-effect/
3) Hanley, Meg The River Blog. American Rivers. N.p., 16 Feb. 2014 Web 28 April 2014.
5) Tidball, Jennifer. Kansas State University. Drought, River Fragmentation
Forcing Endangered Fish out of Water, Biologist Finds. N.p, 16 July
2013. Web 01 May 2014
2)Colorado River Running on Empty by 2050. The Ecologist. N.p., 28 July
2009. Web. 01 May 2014
6) Water In Crisis- Spotlight South Africa. The Water Project. N.p.,n.d. Web
02 May 2014
7)Guido, Zach. Coping with Drought on the Rio Grande. Southwest Climate
Change Network. N.p.,n.d Web. 02 May 2014
Drought Preparedness, Water Conservation and Water Supply Emergency
Response. Drought Preparedness, Water Conservation, and Water
Supply Emergency Response. N.p., 1 May 2014. Web. 03 May 2014
8)Garner Smith, Brent. Colorado Water Trust Wants to Lease Water to Benefit
Rivers. Aspen Journalism. N.p., 18 Mar.2013. Web 03 May 2014