Global Warming and Changes in the Ocean - Essay Example

Connections between Global Warming and Changes in the Ocean Written by Fawaz Dosari Dr. Hilairy Hartnett Oceanography Term paper A large number of scientists and available peer-reviewed scientific research agree that global warming is real. Although there are a number of individuals arguing that this process is not happening, their evidence seems a great deal less credible. A great deal of global warming is fueled by the fuel we use to power our vehicles. The emissions from vehicles in the form of CO2 are the greatest contributor to greenhouse gasses which mix with other gasses to heat up the planet, having an effect on our largest ecosystems, such as the vast engines and natural regulators found in the ocean. There are a number of disturbing changes taking place in the oceans and oceanic activity that can be directly attributed to the rising global temperature, which is and will continue to cause major changes to the entire environment in which we live. While it is impossible to determine to what degree these changes will occur, what is known is that the impact will be nothing short of catastrophic regarding both the earth and world economy. There are several oceanic changes taking place that can be attributed to the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Investigating global warming, it has become clear that the rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere are becoming an influential element in global temperature change. Worldwide, “carbon dioxide emissions are increasing by four percent a year” (Miller, 1990: 450). Oil-burning automobiles are the primary source of air pollution with toxins emitted from stacks at coal-burning electric power plants running a close second (Breuer, 1980: 70). In addition to CO2 emissions, vehicles emit carbon monoxides (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), all of which contribute to global warming (Energy Information Administration, 2004). Figure 1. (http://depletedcranium.com/sources-of-greenhouse-gas-and-a-quick-math-lesson) While this all seems to have an impact on the air rather than the sea, there is a definite connection between the effects of global warming and changes in the ocean. The ocean has always acted as a natural filter for CO2, which is also a naturally-occurring substance. However, this chemical does not normally occur in such great quantities as has been found in recent decades, since the invention and widespread distribution of the gas-burning automobile. As the natural balance between the CO2 levels in both the ocean and the atmosphere is offset by increasing amounts of manmade CO2 pollution, the oceans, which have been the earth’s natural filter for this substance, continually absorb higher concentrations than they would naturally (Miller, 1990). As it functions in the air, so it functions in the sea, tending to warm ocean temperatures and having a variety of effects in a variety of ways. To begin with, the warming ocean waters are less effective in their ability to absorb CO2 at a time when the earth desperately needs these chemicals to be filtered out of the air. When the oceans can no longer keep pace with the intrusion of this normally equalized cycle, then more CO2 will remain in the atmosphere. Increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is expected to result in a warming of the Earth’s surface accelerating the greenhouse effect (Miller, 1990: 498). Additionally, increased air and water temperatures will increase the atmospheric water vapor through evaporation and the resulting precipitation will be proportionately higher. Cloud compositions will change which will further amplify the greenhouse effect (Miller, 1990). The warming at the polar regions will increase the effect to an even greater extent. The more rapid water recycling rate due to the greenhouse effect will result in heavier rainfall amounts and the number of extreme rainfall events such as hurricanes and tropical storms. Higher rainfall rates will cause increased tropical storm intensity in addition to the warmer temperatures (Schroeder, 2007). Hurricanes may be even more frequent and intense than presently predicted. The tragic human and economic consequences involving southern sections of Louisiana and Mississippi when rising ocean levels destroyed property and displaced thousands of citizens will be repeated on a massive global scale if predictions of future climate change and ensuing sea-level rise are accurate. While sea-level rise may not seem all that detrimental on the surface, the effects of more powerful tidal forces and encroaching water can be devastating. “The tide comes and goes like clockwork, but if we continue to watch and wait, our coastal regions will face more erosion damage than we can repair” (Spyres, 2001). Scientists universally forecast that global warming will melt glaciers causing a rise of sea-levels which will hasten erosion resulting in the loss of vast areas of land. The change will bring about elevated storm surges thereby increasing the areas affected by flooding from heavy rain which introduces even more coastal lands to erosion and permits ocean water to infiltrate into rivers upstream of communities that they once served. When it is considered that the majority of large-scale human habitation is established near coasts or other waterways, these effects could drastically change our way of life. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the seas surrounding the United States will rise by about 20 inches by the year 2100 and anywhere from six to 38 inches in other regions of the world. The seas are currently rising along the Atlantic coast of the United States by a tenth of an inch per year and about half that amount on the Pacific coast. Scientists warn that the consequences will be catastrophic if the current trend continues and estimate that a one-foot rise in sea level could wear away up to 200 feet of the Eastern coastline, 400 feet on the West coast and several miles into Louisiana. A 20-inch sea-level rise could abolish up to 40 percent of U.S. coastal wetlands, a three-foot rise would submerge an area the size of Massachusetts (Trenberth, 1997). The economic outcome of such an event is incalculable and unthinkable when one considers the number of cities that are located near the coast. Misconceptions regarding the long-range effects of fossil fuel emissions have been perpetrated by large corporations such as oil and auto companies who believe they will be the losers if limits to greenhouse emissions are legislated in the U.S. According to their propaganda, the planet’s climate is experiencing a normal cycle of change that will have little to no effect on other planetary systems such as the ocean. Television commercials in the U.S. distributed by the oil and gas companies demonstrate how CO2 is an essential component of the economy and an integral element of the cycle of life itself and therefore should not be regulated. The opponents to the regulation of greenhouse gasses have claimed this action would be too costly to business therefore hurt the economy. Auto companies in particular lobby against regulating automobile emissions claiming that it is not economically feasible for them. This is simply untrue because countries such as Japan, Korea and China have much stricter emission standards than the U.S. yet these country’s car sales are up while U.S. automakers are down. The economic consequences of doing nothing are far greater than solving the problem through legislation. If ‘we’ choose not to do anything or to insist a problem does not exist, there will cease to be a ‘we’ as weather patterns become overtly hostile and air, water and food supplies will either become non-existent or too poisonous to sustain life. If the earth cannot sustain human life, the automakers will not make any money. Maybe that is an argument they can understand. Works Cited Boles, Tracey & Orange, Richard. “Where Do You Get Your Energy From?: Latest on Alternative Liquid Fuels.” The Business. (October 3, 2005). Breuer, Georg. Air in Danger: Ecological Perspectives of the Atmosphere. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980. “Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2004.” Energy Information Administration. Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Energy, (December 2005). November 10, 2009 Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: An Introduction to Environmental Science. Belmont: Wadsworth, 1990. Schroeder, Peter. “An Inconvenient Truth: Reviews.” Forum on Physics and Society. The American Physical Society. Vol. 36, N. 1, (January 2007). November 10, 2009 Spyres, Julie. “The Rising Tide: Global Warming Accelerates Coastal Erosion.” Erosion Control. Santa Barbara, CA: Forester Communications, 2001. Trenberth, Kevin E. “Global Warming: It’s Happening.” National Center for Atmospheric Research. (1997). November 10, 2009 Oceanography (Fall 2009) Scientific Briefing Paper Grading Rubric Author’s Name DOSARI Component Points Possible Grade Letter of Intent: Does the paper have a clearly defined topic? 2 0 Clarity: Are the points well structured and ideas supported? On the short side – barely 2 pages Is there a clear order and development of ideas? Not clear 5 3 Coherence: Are the author’s points well-developed and presented in an ordered, logical manner? no Appropriate formatting, etc 5 3 Creativity: How is the topic related to the material we have covered in class? 5 5 References: Is the supporting material properly cited?no. 1 0 Use of figures: Do the figures and figure captions illustrate key points of the paper?figure not referenced in the paper. 2 1 TOTAL 20 12 0 Additional Comments: You have not properly referenced your materials and there is evidence that you may have copied a portion of this paper from another source. Unless you can demonstrate to me that this is a real reference and that you can properly cite it I will not give you credit for this assignment. See the email that I sent you with the SafeAssign report. Read More