As per Museum of Natural History , one of the most dangerous ways in which we would be affected by the Arctic melting is the rising of sea levels. Why is this important? Different cities are established at different sea levels. If the sea levels rise 20 feet, populations and cities would be decimated.
Coastal communities — Florida, New Jersey, Maryland — could be drastically affected and even now, are experiencing more instances of flooding.
Raise the sea level 20 feet, and these areas will likely not survive. The ocean would cover all the coastal cities. One important thing that will happen is groundwater contamination. If the sea level is rising, there is going to be infiltration of saltwater in groundwater reserves further inland.
Welcome to Future Earth , where Inverse forecasts years of possibilities, challenges, and who will lead the way. Another thing already happening is that thermohaline circulation may be affected. Also called the Great Conveyor Belt, this moves heat around from the equator to higher latitudes. We may already see a slowdown of that circulation because we're putting too much freshwater into the Arctic.
So if that happens there would be no more Gulf Stream. Europe will be as cold as Montreal. Without their main source of food, and their population will decline. The lessening of polar bears will have unpredicted consequences. If the polar bear population were gone, the population of the seal would go up.
A predator that is lost in an ecosystem can have some serious effects. As a predator species die out, population of prey will go up. The melting ice affects fish by letting them move freely from sub-Arctic to the Arctic. Species of fish, where they were not before, start showing up to different locations.
The following report and table provides further information:. Coad and Reist reported 41 species new to the Canadian Arctic marine fish fauna since previous synopses McAllister , Coad et al. Notes: 1. Anadromous fishes enter coastal marine waters and may extend offshore into pelagic marine waters; some freshwater species enter freshened estuaries and waters in marine locations. Species added in surveys see text. Counts for Hudson and James bays are not included see Coad and Reist Christiansen, If this keeps happening, there will be a huge abundance in fish.
This means that a new food source will be introduced. So this affect of the ice loss on fish is a good one. Also this table states that fish species will be appearing to where in previously uninhabited areas.
This can be seen as a problem or a fortune. The problem will be a fight on who gets to eat the fish, and the fortune, as stated before, will be money or food. Melting ice let seals not have a resting, molting and birthing place. The melting ice causes the polar bears to have no home or hunting grounds.
The melting ice will cause their populations decline. If the seals are low, Alaskan natives might have to move to another animal to hunt. The polar bears help keep their ecosystem in balance.
The fish are getting the better end. They gain more habitats. So the fish species will thrive with new food. This will affect us in a good way, too. Like the fish going into Canada, they get a food source they can rely on.
The affects of the animal will definitely affect us human beings. The lessoning seals will hurt the natives of Alaska, the declining population of the polar bears would hurt their ecosystem, although, the spreading of fish would help people. Nevertheless, these are drastic affects. The most recent episode of melting Arctic sea ice is beginning to affect the Northern Sea Route. The entire route lies in Arctic waters and parts are free of ice for only two months per year Wikipedia.
Northern Sea Route trade traffic surged in to around one million tons of various kinds of cargoes, with petroleum products constituting the largest group. The Northern Sea Route was opened by receding ice in but was closed by The amount of polar ice had receded to levels last ice blockage of the Northern Sea Route in the Laptev Sea had melted Wikipedia. The Beluga Fraternity and the Beluga Foresight were the first non-Russian commercial vessels to complete this journey, but not without Russian assistance.
In , 18 ships have made the now mostly ice-free transit. Lost sea ice is already affecting the timing, abundance, or presence of the fish, seals, or whales they hunt for and rely on for food.
For Aarons, the reality hit long ago, and the question now is about the future. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.
India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.
Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.
Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Environment COP26 nears conclusion with mixed signals and frustration.
0コメント