Tag Archives: global warming

On thin ice.

Posted on October 8, 2012 by | 1 comment

Climate change has been occurring at a global level, and as the temperatures rise, so does the threat on the survival of baby seal pups in the Arctic. The Arctic, which is home to Harp seals (scientifically known as Pagophilus groenlandicus), has lost half of its ice volume in the past 8 years. As these polar ice caps are shrinking, the baby seals dependant on this ice are put at risk.

Baby Seals in the Arctic :

A seal on a patch of ice
from:http://www.public-domain-image.com/fauna-animals-public-domain-images-pictures/seals-and-sea-lions-public-domain-images-pictures/harbor-seal-pictures/harbor-seal-on-patch-of-ice-floating-in-water-phoca-vitulina.jpg.html

Female seals search for specific ice conditions on which they birth their pups from February-March. Thick ice conditions are necessary for nursing and raising these pups.  The mothers must find regions of thick, solid ice ranging from 15 cm – 120 cm thick. The ice must be stable because after 12 days of nursing, the mother leaves the pup by itself for 1 month on this region of ice. The pup practises hunting in nearby waters and continuously returns to the ice to rest. This growth period on the ice is crucial to the survival of the seal because as April approaches, the waters warm and the ice begins to break. Once the ice breaks apart, the pup must have become strong enough to swim and be independent of the ice. If it hasn’t achieved this at this point, it can drown from exhaustion or be crushed by moving ice.

Climate Change in Polar Regions:

Satelite composites of sea ice extent at the Summer Minimum, in September 1979 and 2007.
from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/climatesafety/3268623163/

Greenhouses gases, mostly produced through various activities of the human population, has lead to an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The effects of this have greatly impacted the Arctic regions of our planet.The ice of the Arctic is drastically disintegrating, and over the past few decades the ice used by seals has noticeably reduced. Global warming can be thought of as a vicious cycle, because since the Arctic ocean is unable to ventilate nearby oceans properly, it’s causing more warming. Furthermore, the melting of the ice causes there to be less reflection of the suns heat. This means that the heat is being absorbed by the earth, ultimately leading to more warming.

Baby Seals feeling the heat:

The premature warming of the waters and drastic melting of the ice at the polar caps is directly affecting the ice on which pups develop and grow. Harp seals prefer the thickest ice to birth and nurse their pups. However, these pups are being put at risk during their most vulnerable state due to the climate change that’s occurring. As a result, baby seals are being crushed or drowning. A study has shown that seal deaths have risen in response to the loss of sea ice. Without a doubt, the pup mortality rate is being affected by the amount of declining ice at the Arctic regions.

Since seals are unable to control this situation, let alone raise awareness to this topic, it’s our responsibility to come together to form a solution for the problem we have created. Otherwise, soon we will all be on thin ice.

By: Nadia A. Kari

 

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch-a future vacation destination?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by | 7 comments

When you picture yourself on vacation, do you think of palm trees, sandy beaches, and clear blue waters? Ramon Knoester, an architect and designer from Holland has proposed an idea that may change future vacation destinations. He has plans to create an island made entirely from plastic waste collected from the oceans. He calls his creation “Recycled Island” and it would have the ability to sustain agriculture and a community. The idea is a creative solution to clean up the great garbage patch in the Northern Pacific Subtropical gyre. Would you vacation on a giant island made from recycled plastic?

Why does the patch need to be cleaned up?

The existence of an oceanic garbage patch that has been increasing tenfold every decade since the 1950s has some consequences that are of immediate concern. For example, plastic pollution has direct damage on marine organisms and seabirds. These animals are dying from ingesting the material, or suffocating from entanglement. Over 100,000 marine mammals and 1 million seabirds die from plastic each year. Eliminating plastic debris is of great importance and transforming the great patch into a self-sustaining island could be a possible solution.

Can this dream become reality?

“Recycled Island” may seem like a far-fetched idea, but there is a chance that it will be created.   After presenting his vision at the Fifth International Marine Debris Conference in Hawaii,  Ramon Knoester was given a grant from the Netherlands Architecture Fund to design a prototype for the 10,000 square kilometer habitat. He admits that it is a daunting task that will take years to complete,  but it is possible and something needs to be done about plastic waste.  This island will not only reduce marine pollution, but it will provide a welcoming and sustainable environment for climate refugees. Who knows, maybe you will be vacationing to “Recycled Island” instead of Hawaii sometime in the future.

References:

  • Berton, Justin. “Continent-size toxic stew of plastic trash fouling swath of Pacific Ocean.” San Francisco Chronicle 110 (2007): 8
  • Dore, J., et al. “Ecosystem changes in the North Pacific subtropical gyre attributed to the 1991-92 El Nino.” Nature 373 (1995): 230-231.

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Nuclear power to fight global warming: the pros and the cons

Posted on September 16, 2012 by | 4 comments

Since the late 20th century, a growing amount of concerns have arisen regarding of global warming. In the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, many countries agreed on their responsibility to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in order to fight global warming. As the main source of greenhouse gases comes from the burning of coal to generate electricity, a lot of countries have to come up with alternative methods that do not emit greenhouse gases as the byproduct to generate electricity; the use of nuclear power is one of them.

Nuclear power and its significance

Nuclear power is the use of nuclear fission reaction to generate heat and electricity. Unlike the burning of coal, it does not produce CO2 as the byproduct. According to the International Energy Agency in 2006, 16% of the world electricity is supplied by nuclear power, while other greenhouse-gases-free energy sources, with the exception of hydro power, only all together

World electronic production in 2004
Chart by: InterAcademy Council

 

contributes to 2% of the world electricity production. The reason of the wide application of nuclear power and hydro power as opposed to other reusable energy sources lies on their low cost. According to Jason Morgan of nuclearfissionary.com, the cost of electricity production by nuclear fission is two times less than wind power and even five times less than solar power.

Downside of nuclear power 

Nuclear explosion of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant
Image from: David Twomey 

If nuclear power is both relatively cheap and CO2 emission free, would it be the ultimate solution to global warming? The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 gave an answer to this question. In March 11th,    2011, a 9.0 earthquake in Japan damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant reactor cooling system which led to a  radiation leak that affected the habitat within the 30km radius. According to studies by John Ten Hoeve and Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University, the radiation leak has killed around 15 to 1,300 people and caused around 24 to 2,500 cases of cancer. The effect of the radiation leak to the environment is shown in the video below:

YouTube Preview Image

The impact of this disaster shows the devastating cost of generating electricity through nuclear plants once an accident occurs. In addition, unlike other energy sources, nuclear power generates a lot of radioactive wastes that would take billions of years to decompose to a level that is no longer hazardous to human. These radioactive wastes have to be carefully treated to avoid contamination of the ground and the water, which would cause health issues to humans.

Nuclear power: should we continue or not?

So, should we continue developing nuclear power or not? In my opinion, despite the cheap cost, the risk of nuclear power to humans has generated as much as, if not more than, the risk of greenhouse gases emission causing global warming. What do you think?

Blog post by: Mervin Wong

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