Chris Cheung

Period: 2

Date: 5/1/17

TheNegativeEffectsofGlobalWarming

Imagineaworldoverspreadwithfloods,polarbearsdriftingoniceplatformsinareasaround
theworld,andaspringwith90degreeweather.Soon,theworldwilllooklikethisbecauseofglobal
warming.Globalwarmingisglobalclimatechangecausedbythedischargeofgreenhousegases,such
ascarbondioxide,methane,nitrousoxide,andozone,intotheEarthsatmosphere.Thesegasescome
mainlyfromtheburningoffossilfuels,agriculture,andwaste.Humansareproducingtheseharmful
gasestotheenvironment.WhengreenhousegasesareemittedintotheEarth,theyaretrappedinside
theEarthsatmospherebecauseofitssemi-permeableproperties.Becausethegreenhousegases
cannotescapetheEarthsatmospheretheystartheatinguptheEarth.Asaresult,theremaybe
negativeeffectsfollowingthisevent.Thenegativeeffectsofglobalwarmingisthethinningofthe
ozonelayer,extinctionofpolarbears,andincreaseinseawater.
Firstofall,globalwarmingcancausetheEarthsozonelayertostartdiminishing.Ozone
depletionoccurswhenchlorofluorocarbonsformerlyfoundinaerosolspraycansand
refrigerantsarereleasedintotheatmosphere.Thesegases,throughseveralchemicalreactions,
causetheozonemoleculestobreakdown(UnionofConcernedScientists,1).Certainchemicals
releasedintotheatmospherecancausetheozonelayertoweaken,whichhasnegativeeffects.The
ozonelayerissupposetoabsorbultravioletradiationfromtheSun,butwhentheozonelayer
weakensthanitsultravioletabsorbingabilitiesweaken.Ifitsultravioletabsorbingabilitiesare
reducedthenitwillcauseproblemssuchasskincancer,eyedamage,melanoma,andactinic
keratosistooccur.Asglobalwarmingcausestheozonelayertostartthinning,theSunwillleave
harmfuleffectsontheEarthanditsinhabitants.
Asaresultoftheincreasedtemperaturesfromglobalwarming,arcticlife,especiallypolar
bears,willsoonbeextinctbecauseofglobalwarming.Rightnow,globalwarmingisaffectingthe
arcticbymeltingtheiceintoiceplatformsdriftingabout.Theseiceplatformsthenfloatfartherapart
fromeachotheranditmakesithardforpolarbearstoswimtooneanother,orevenfindanother
polarbear.Thelargergapofopenwaterbetweentheiceandlandalsocontributestorougherwave
conditions,makingthebearsswimfromshoretoseaicemorehazardous(NationalWildlife
Federation(NWF),1).Since,theiceplatformsdriftawayfromeachotheritgivespolarbearsvery
hazardousconditions,andtheycouldpotentiallydie.Inadditionbiologistsattributedthedrowning
toacombinationofretreatingiceandrougherseas(NWF,1).Becauseoftheharshconditionsand
theiceplatformsdriftingawayfromeachother,itcancausethepolarbearstodrownanddie.Global
warmingwillalsoleadtoadecreaseofseals,apolarbearsprey.Withthedeclineoftheseals,food
willbecomescarceforthepolarbearsandtheywilleventuallyresulttoacannibalisticbehavior.
Althoughithaslongbeenknownpolarbearswillkillfordominanceorkillcubssotheycanbreed
withthefemale,outrightpredationforfoodwaspreviouslyunobservedbybiologists(NWF,1).Now
thatfoodisbecomingscarceinthearcticforpolarbearsbecauseofglobalwarmingtheyhavetokill
theirownkindjusttosurvive.Ifglobalwarmingkeepscausingiceplatformstoflowapartandthe
populationofsealstodecline,thenverysoonpolarbearswillbeextinct.
Inadditiontoglobalwarmingcausingtheseacapstomeltfaster,itwilladditionallyleadtoan
increaseinseawater.Sinceglobalwarmingiscausingthepolaricecapstostartmeltingfasterthenit
willleadtoadecreaseinfreshwaterandanincreaseinseawater.Themeltingofthepolaricecaps
willleadtoadecreaseinfreshwatersupplybecausemostourfreshwatercomesfromfreshwater
sourceslike,riversandlakes.But,thefreshwatersourcesgettheirfreshwaterfrompolaricecaps
meltingslowly.But,whenapolaricecapismeltingrapidlytherewillbeaburstoffreshwaterin
freshwatersources.Eventhoughthismayseembeneficial,aftertheburstoffreshwater,allofitwill
starttoflowintotheoceanandchangeintosaltwater.Since,thepolaricecapcannotbemelted
againthentherewillbeadecreaseinthefreshwatersupply.Whenthefreshwatersupplydecreases,
thantheseawaterincreases,whichcausestheamountsofsaltwatertoriseintheEarth.By2100,it's
estimatedouroceanswillbeonetofourfeethigher,threateningcoastalsystemsandlow-lyingareas,
includingentireislandnationsandtheworld'slargestcities,includingNewYork,LosAngeles,and
MiamiaswellasMumbai,Sydney,andRiodeJaneiro(NRDC,1).Withthesealevelsrisingithasthe
potentialtocausefloodsandothernaturaldisasterstoareaslocatednearthecoastlines.Asglobal
warmingcausesthepolaricecapstomeltatamorerapidpace,theamountofseawaterintheworld
willincrease,causingnaturaldisasters,likefloods,morelikelytooccur.
GlobalwarmingiscausingharmfuleffectstotheEarth.Someeffectsarethethinningofthe
ozonelayer,extinctionofpolarbears,andtherapidmeltingofthepolaricecaps.Becausetheozone
layeristhinningthanitwillallowfortheEarthtobecomemoreheatedbecauseoftheSuns
ultravioletlight.SincetheArcticiceismeltingfasterduetoglobalwarming,itwillcausepolarbears
goextinctandtheamountofseawaterintheworldtoincrease.Globalwarmingisagrowing
environmentalproblem,thatisleavingdestructionandchaostotheEarthsecosystemand
inhabitants.