Download The Methane Gas – The Ticking Time Bomb of the Arctic

The Methane Gas – The Ticking Time Bomb of the Arctic
A global problem that humanity should respond to
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You’d never put your home in the focal point of a huge magnifying glass that amplifies
sunlight, would you? No. Why would you do that? You wouldn’t want your fichus to wither
or the ice in your lemonade to melt.
But this is just what humanity is doing. Each person has contributed a little to the formation
of a greenhouse gas curtain over the earth, that acts exactly like a magnifying glass which
withers and dries plants during summer and is slowly melting mountain and polar glaciers.
It is time for people to act, before irreparable damage is done. Stop consuming and start
preserving. Turn from king of the jungle to protector of nature.
Our past has brought us where we are today, but only decisions we take determine our future
from now on!
Focusing on the Arctic and its thawing, this project aims to explain some natural mechanisms
and propose solutions more or less applicable by the common man to stop global warming
and protect his home and the home of so many species of animals.
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Methane Gas – The Ticking Time Bomb of the Arctic
Report by Graure Madalina
CONTENT
1. Global warming. Factors that contribute to permafrost thaw
2. Methane- the powerful greenhouse gas
3. Permafrost and Arctic lakes, methane sources. Dangers that arise if
there are no changes. Melting permafrost, release of methane gas
4. Methane gas and accelerated global warming. Ocean level rise, habitat
destruction, desertification, acclimatization
5. Kyoto Protocol. Ways to combat global warming
6. Alternatives to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases
7. Presentation link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eL-_10EZo&feature=youtu.be
"I smell gas! Flee! "
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Global warming. Factors that contribute to permafrost thaw.
Why?
Why do we have to prevent the excessive release of carbon dioxide? What is the
greenhouse effect?
In the 19th century, scientists have developed the theory of greenhouse effect, an effect
influenced by atmospheric composition and affecting global temperature. At the end of the
century, Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, first speculated that the changing level of
atmospheric carbon dioxide would radically alter global temperature. He published his
findings entitled "Über den Einfluss des atmosfärischen Kohlensäuregehalts auf die
temperature der Erdoberfläche" (1896). This paper describes the ability of carbon dioxide to
block the release of heat radiation. The Earth is a receiver of solar heat and the release of this
heat is hindered by carbon dioxide, which acts like a mirror.
The discovered law, in its original form, reads as follows: "If the quantity of carbonic acid
increases in geometric progression, the augmentation of the temperature will increase nearly
in arithmetic progression.”
This simplified expression is still used today:
ΔF = α ln(C/C0)
Svante Arrhenius was also the first who predicted carbon emissions resulting from burning
fossil fuel or other combustion processes would cause global warming.
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Another scientist who made the relevant findings in this area was Guy Stewart Callendar.
The main contribution was the development of the theory linking rising concentration of
carbon dioxide with increasing temperature, then theory known as Callendar effect.
Many researchers of the time dismissed these theories finding them implausible.
It was almost by chance that a team of researchers in 1950 found that global warming is
indeed possible. In the early 60s, CD Keeling measured the level of atmospheric carbon
dioxide: it was growing fast. Interest in the global warming raised and new theories
developed in order to explain the connection between CO2 concentration and temperature
variations, as well as it’s influence on biological and chemical stability.
Humanity actually "evaporates" coal mines into the atmosphere.
If the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles, average temperatures will rise
about 5-6 ° C.
Significant increases in temperature are already showing and a critical point might be
reached in less than a century.
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To prevent this unwanted growth, the Kyoto Protocol has been signed and introduced by
countries all over the world.
Methane- the powerful greenhouse gas
Why?
Why must we prevent the release of methane gas? What would follow its release and
why is it more dangerous than carbon dioxide?
It has been shown that in large quantities, carbon dioxide produces an imbalance in nature
and especially global temperature.
But methane has a more than 20 times greater greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. The
power of each molecule of methane is equivalent to that of 20 molecules of carbon dioxide.
This is without taking into account the substances that form as a result of the methane’s
chemical reactions. This powerful greenhouse gas is present in the atmosphere and the
percentage increase.
Discoveries that led to this conclusion were made barely in 1980. up to this point it was
considered that the amount of methane in the atmosphere as well as it’s greenhouse
properties are negligible. The scientist who made these discoveries was Veerbhadran
Ramanathan, the same who discovered the causes of the ozone layer deterioration.
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The main sources of methane are animals and plants. For a long time, human influence was
not taken into account. But people's actions affect the biosphere, and thus it was
demonstrated in the '80s, influenced the amount of methane released. For example, rice
plantations are an ideal environment for bacteria that break down organic matter into
methane. Fertilizers are also suitable environments for the development of these organisms.
By influencing the biosphere, people indirectly influence methane emissions in the
atmosphere.
Also, methane gas is being released from the permafrost area retreating, withdrawing largely
due to human actions.
The growth rate of methane gas levels in the atmosphere was estimated at 1% per year, but it
varies depending on temperatures recorded that year.
Trends in Atmospheric Methane Concentrations Between 1850-2010
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Permafrost and Arctic lakes, methane sources. Dangers that arise if there are no
changes. Melting permafrost, release of methane gas.
Why is methane an imminent threat? At 1-2 ° C from being released from the
permafrost layer and in an amount that represents almost twice as much carbon as
presently contained in the entire atmosphere, methane is a problem that needs an
urgent solution.
In addition, permafrost thaw would not only release methane gas, but also nitrogen
compounds which affect the ozone layer protecting the Earth from high frequency waves,
said Torben Christensen of Lund University, Sweden.
Permafrost (or cryonic soil) is a term that defines soil at or below the freezing point of water
0 °C for two or more years. Most permafrost is located in high latitudes (land close to the
North and South poles), but alpine permafrost may exist at high altitudes in much lower
latitudes, for example on plateaus of Tibet, Rockies or Andes. The lowest altitude where
alpine permafrost is met is 2500m. Permafrost regions occupy a percentage of 20-25% of
Earth's land surface.
Most polar permafrost is frozen for millennia and can reach thicknesses of 1500m.
Permafrost is indeed in danger of withdrawal due to the temperature increase recorded since
1880, also the date of the first appearance of climate monitoring devices. The first study of
global temperature developed by GISS (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies)
published in 1981 included the monitoring and interpretation of temperatures since 1880 and
showed an increase of 0.7 ° C in both hemispheres.
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Effects on permafrost are already occurring:
 In 2011, temperatures reached a record high at depths of 20m at all the North Slope
permafrost observatories in Alaska. Monitoring began in 1970.
 The active layer of soil (= soil layer above the permafrost that thaws in the summer) has
become much thicker in the last 15 years in Greenland, Svalbard, Chukotka, NE Siberia and
the Russian territory on the European continent. Areas that are still stable are the Alaskan
North Slope and Canadian Arctic.
One of the best indicators of stability or change present in permafrost soil and its temperature
is the active layer thickness, ALT. Permafrost temperature is measured at a depth where
seasonal variation ceases to exist and is used as an indicator of long-term changes.
The permafrost ice has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Organic
structures remained trapped in the under layers since their formation. These organic
substances come from animals and plants that lived then-probably mostly during the last ice
age, the birth period for most of the arctic ice. During their "captivity", microorganisms
decomposed this complex organic material in some simple structures, such as methane. This
explains the origin carbon oxides and methane present in deposits of ice.
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Gas bubbles trapped beneath the surface of a frozen Arctic lake
These deposits have remained untouched for thousands of years. For thousands of years the
“fire” has been trapped in the ice. But now the ice began to melt, and those gases are about to
surface. They are issued from the bottom floor of arctic lakes or in some places directly into
the atmosphere. Now, due to temperature rise, thaw accelerates and so does the methane
release rate. Coastal erosion measured in eastern Siberia reached 8m a year.
Permafrost thickness is affected by the snow layer as well (that is cold isolating during
winter), vegetation, water, heat inside the earth, and, especially, the ground temperature.
Active layer of permafrost, the upper, thaws in summer and freezes in winter freezes. Plants
only grow in this area of soil, because the roots can not penetrate deeper layers. Types of
plants vary with climate and water, the most common being moss, lichens, and low bushes.
There are two types of permafrost: continuous and discontinuous.
The continuous is found in areas with the most severe conditions, where permafrost occupies
90-100% of the area. Where temperatures never exceed the threshold of thawing and
permafrost dominates the landscape. The active layer is very thin, averaging 0.3m.
In warmer regions, there tends to be discontinuous permafrost. The period in which
temperatures stay below freezing equals the duration of the period in which they exceed that
limit. Local factors such as vegetation, soil type and snow determine if permafrost layer is
maintained or created. Active layer is thicker, about 3m.
Recently, polar winter became shorter. This process leads to lengthening summer and
prolonged heating of the active layer. Global warming threatens natural freeze-thaw cycle.
Ice thickness drops to an alarming, unprecedented rate.
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Recent trends in permafrost temperatures measured at different
locations
(modified from Romanovsky et al., 2002)
Country
Permafrost
temperature
change/trends
Region
Trans-Alaska pipeline route (20
m), 1983-2003
+0.6 to +1.5°C
Osterkamp and
Romanovsky, 1999;
Romanovsky and
Osterkamp, 2001;
Osterkamp 2003
Barrow Permafrost Observatory
(15 m), 1950-2003
+1°C
Brewer 1958;
Romanovsky et al.,
2002
East Siberia (1.6-3.2 m), 19601992
+0.03°C/year
Romanovsky et al.,
2001
North of West Siberia (10 m),
1980-1990
+0.3 to +0.7°C
Pavlov, 1994
European North of Russia,
continuous permafrost zone (6
m), 1973-1992
+1.6 to +2.8°C
Pavlov, 1994
USA
Russia
European North of Russia,
up to +1.2°C
discontinuous permafrost zone (6
m), 1970-1995
Oberman and
Mazhitova, 2001
Alert (15 m), 1995-2000
+0.15°C/year
Geological Survey of
Canada data: Smith et
al., 2003
Northern Mackenzie basin (28
m), 1990-2000
+0.1°C/year
Geological Survey of
Canada data: Couture
et al. (2003)
Central Mackenzie basin (15 m),
1985-2000
+0.03°C/year
Geological Survey of
Canada data: Couture
et al. (2003)
Northern Quebec (10 m), late
1980s - mid 1990s
-0.1°C/year
Allard et al., 1995
+0.5 to +1.0°C
Isaksen et al., 2001
+1° to +2°C
Isaksen et al., 2000
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (1970s90s)
+0.1 to +0.3°C
Huijin et al., 2000
Northern Tien Shan (1973-2003)
+0.2° to +0.6°C
Marchenko, 1999 and
2002
Khentei and Khangai Mountains,
Lake Hovsgol (1973-2003)
+0.3° to +0.6°C
Sharkhuu, 2003
Canada
Juvvasshøe, southern Norway
Europe/Norway Janssonhaugen, Svalbard
Asia/China
Asia/Kazakstan
Asia/Mongolia
Reference
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Patterns (circles and polygons) in areas with permafrost
Patterns present on the permafrost surface are formed when, in winter, frozen ground cracks
and afterwards, during spring, the top layer heats up and melts, water seeps into the ground,
in those cracks and freezes. But the soil is still frozen, and when water freezes, its volume
increases about 10%, it expands and forces the ground upward, outward. This is the process
of creating irregularities on the surface permafrost.
This expansion generates enough force to transform small highway cracks into potholes and
to break apart enormous boulders along fractures in the rock through the process known as
ice wedging.
Permafrost distribution.
Would the release of that methane mass influence biological balance? Is the methane
mass in the erctic area large enough to produce drastic change?
Latest research estimates that the mass of carbon stored in permafrost soil from the entire
surface of the world is between 1400 - 1700 Gt (gigatons). This is more than the total amount
of carbon present in the moment in all species or twice as much carbon as presently
contained in the atmosphere.
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Greenhouse gas → Rising global temperatures → Permafrost thaw →
Methane release (greenhouse gas) → Global warming accelerated →
Permafrost thaw accelerated → Larger quantities of methane released → ...
Methane deposits are found in two forms: actual gas deposits and methane hydrates.
Methane hydrates
Methane hydrate, also called methane
clathrate, methane ice, fire ice, natural gas
hydrate, or gas hydrate is a solid clathrate
compound (more specifically, a clathrate
hydrate) in which a large amount of
methane is trapped within a crystal
structure of water, forming a solid similar
to ice. Originally thought to occur only in
the outer regions of the Solar System
where temperatures are low and water ice
is common, significant deposits of
methane clathrate have been found under
sediments on the ocean floors of Earth.
The worldwide amounts of carbon bound in gas hydrates is conservatively estimated to total
twice the amount of carbon found in all known fossil fuels on Earth. Methane clathrates
present in deep Antarctic ice cores record a history of atmospheric methane concentrations,
dating to 800,000 years ago. The ice-core methane clathrate record is a primary source of
data for global warming research, along with oxygen and carbon dioxide.
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This compound is only stable in specific conditions, either at normal atmospheric pressure
but -15° C at most, or temperatures up to 2° C but very high pressures, like ones found on the
ocean floor.
The Arctic tundra holds massive quantities of methane hydrates, for example in Siberia,
Alaska and northern Canada or in glacial lakes such as Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Sudden release of methane from these
formations is possible and can have
serious uncontrollable climatic
consequences.
The release is spontaneous, effervescent.
By the time of release, substance is no
longer inert, but highly flammable.
On the left: “Burning Ice”
These methane deposits were of interest because the utility of this gas. But even a small
increase in surface temperature proves to be significant and may lead to the releasing of huge
methane amounts, making their exploitation very dangerous.
Upon trying to exploit this deposit, a chain reaction may be triggered causing methane to be
released on larger area than the catchments zone. Being highly flammable accidents are not
improbable to occur. Extracting methane hydrates is somewhat like digging up a mined field.
Pioneers in methane hydrates extraction did however appear in western Siberia the: those
from Norilsk, a Russian company. After an alleged depletion of the resources, the extraction
site was abandoned and a continuity of gas leaks in the area was observed. This way,
instability of hydrates was accidentally discovered and the outbreak of the triggered chain
reaction.
Gas deposits
Arctic lakes are significant sources of methane released into the atmosphere. Scientists have
declared that understanding the problem is a major priority.
Measurement of gas "leakage" is not exact easy because it’s fluctuations vary over time and
space. For this reason, studies conducted by Walter et al. (2006, 2007) defined four types of
methane sources classified A, B, C and Hotspot. Flow variation occurs depending on
atmospheric pressure and temperature, growth is favored in seasons with high temperatures
and lower pressure.
Such emissions are important to watch: the carbon locked in methane hydrate in the Eastern
Siberian Arctic Shelf is something like five times the carbon emitted by all human activity
since industrialization, so if even a small percentage were to destabilize and out-gas to the
atmosphere it could significantly alter the path of climate change.
What are the origins of this gas as well as what the exact mechanism of formation is, is a
crucial question; by answering it, mankind could eliminate the methane threat.
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After some more extensive research was made, it has been proven that arctic soil contains a
huge amount of certified organic carbons, and at the same time, the active layer is a favorable
environment for microorganisms (that can hardly survive in the permafrost layer beneath).
Following laboratory tests demonstrated that these microorganisms decompose carbides in
gas, then some of it into carbon dioxide. Analyzing the factors that lead to the liberation of
the methane, like the existence of organic deposits that can not be denied and the
microorganisms present only in the active layer, the solution of this issue is conservation of
permafrost at the expense of the active layer, by preventing the temperature increase that
would favor the extending of the active layer.
Laboratory tests performed on the reaction of microorganisms to thaw were performed by
Janet Jansson and a team of researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in
Berkeley, California. They took samples of permafrost from Alaska, they have thawed it and
maintained the soil at a temperature of 5 ° C. The first two days, an abundance of released
methane that was formerly trapped in permafrost formation was registered, and then the rate
fell. Thawed organisms began to consume the gas and turn it into carbon dioxide. What
changed? Investigations are continuing. Many studies examined gas leakage, but about the
microbes that affect the process of transformation, little is known. Permafrost ecosystem is
almost completely unexplored. Most microorganisms in permafrost have never been grown
in laboratories and over 90% are unidentified, says Jansson.
Researcher Walter Anthony gives an example: tons of carbon have been safe in the arctic
freezer for thousands of years. Now the freezer door is open, releasing carbon from Arctic
lake bottoms. Microorganisms digest it and release it in the form of methane. Lakes virtually
bubble up methane. Permafrost thaw can release 50 billion tons of this highly potent
greenhouse gas.
You can already see leakages of this form of gas bubbles appear for example on the Arctic
ocean surface, where ice has retreated. The released volume astonished Russian scientist Igor
Semiletov, leader of a research team that monitored an area of eastern Siberia for 20 years.
Outbreaks were known with a maximum diameter of several tens of meters, but he
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discovered an outbreak with a diameter less than 1000m where the concentration of methane
in the atmosphere is 100 times higher than normal. He also said that on extensive areas
(26000 square kilometers) can be found even 100 such outbreaks of methane. The situation
worsens during the polar summer, when temperatures rise. Semiletov estimated a yearly
release of about 8 million tons in monitored area, but further study reveals an
underestimation of the actual amount. Large rates are released in very short intervals. During
periods with lower temperatures however, the released quantity decreases.
One of the first measurements made with regard to leakage of methane was carried out in
Sweden between 1970 and 2000 and reported an alarming increase of 20%. In 2006, the thaw
of large Arctic areas became visible, representing new sources of gas, and the estimations
made for the future are not favorable.
Researcher Dr Shakhova said that in the last two centuries, the amount of methane in the
atmosphere has tripled, a phenomenon that has never taken place in world history.
One third of the total area of permafrost is within 1-1.5 ° C of thawing says geochemist
Katey Walter Anthony. Enormous amounts of methane would be released .We must prevent
that shift, be careful not to add another source of heating- the methane. If the increase of 11.5 ° C will take place, the gas released would accelerate temperature growth by 0.32 ° C per
year.
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Methane gas and accelerated global warming; ocean level rise, habitat destruction,
desertification, acclimatization
Why?
What is the environmental impact of the permafrost thaws?
Whether it's rising sea levels, desertification, monsoons, melting glaciers and ocean
acidification, climate change alters rapidly the landscape of our planet. We may be one
of the last generations that have the chance to make a change for the better, or be the
last witnesses of the most amazing places on Earth.
Impact on the cryosphere (surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice,
river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground), biosphere,
hydrosphere
-Arctic glaciers
Consisting in the deep Arctic Ocean, covered for thousands of years with a layer of ice, the
Arctic is the natural habitat of many species that will be directly affected by the melting ice.
Besides these direct effects, there will be some secondary impact too due to rising sea levels
and changes in biochemical balance.
Global warming strikes the Arctic two times faster than the rest of the world, which means
that the tundra of Alaska could disappear completely if temperatures continue to rise. Recent
rising temperatures have affected large areas of permafrost in central Alaska, where the soil
yielded due to melting ice. Melting permafrost does not only drastically alter the ecosystem,
but also cause the release of huge amounts of atmospheric carbon.
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Arctic warming is already at a higher rate than ever and mankind can not afford this rate
growing. Effects on caribou herds, polar bears on the seal population are already being
palpable. Fauna and flora are connected by a complex and sensitive relationships network
and temperature rise in the tundra affects species interactions. An example of sensitivity of
these relationships is the one between early plant growth in springtime and decrease of the
rate of caribou calf survival. Newborn caribou come to world in a precise time period, and if
plants are already mature at the time, they can not be consumed by the young. Therefore even
the slightest variation in temperature can dramatically affect the caribou population, already
in the lowest numbers ever registered.
A caribou and a glacier in the background
Also, melting glaciers will lead to dissolution in the ocean of tons of carbon dioxide, leading
to acidification of ocean waters. Many species will suffer from this process. Plankton will be
affected first, the base of the food chain of which almost all marine species depend, from 3-4
cm long fish to blue whales, which are also plankton consumers. Ocean fish populations will
suffer, and so will mankind. Oceans may become more polluted and almost lifeless, with
only the strongest species surviving, like sharks, "killing machines" which survived since the
earliest times.
Glaciers must also be protected because their melting would increase sea levels, and hence
the flooding of the densely populated coastal areas.
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-Glaciers in mountains
Melting mountain glaciers is a phenomenon that takes place right before us. Growing
temperatures are favorable for the melting ice.
The effects on the ecosystem
The most potent example is Glacier National Park, located in the American state of
Montana and possesses some special features. The park is where various ecological systems
were kept almost untouched, and it fulfills the conditions necessary to preserve them. But
climate and conditions change. About 100 years ago, the park had 150 glaciers. By 2005,
only 27 are left. Effects on the rich wildlife present in the park can be devastating.
An area of untouched beauty, Patagonia (South America), is a territory listed among those
which could suffer dramatically due to climate change. Many glaciers on its territory begin to
melt already due to rising temperatures and poor precipitations.
Floods
If the world temperature rises, glaciers in the mountains as well as Arctic glaciers will melt
and as a result, sea levels will rise. Coastlines with a high density of population will be
flooded and damaged greatly. Mediterranean sandy beaches and paradise islands will be
swallowed by water as the legendary island of Atlantis, this time everything will be quite
palpable and real.
Fish caught in the Piazza San Marco, Venice, the floods in November 2009
Venice has long been threatened by rising waters, but rising sea levels can worsen the
situation tragically. Each year the city is hit by floods, which make us ask ourselves – how
long will Venice still last in front of this phenomenon?
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Maldives is the smallest Asian state with a maximum of 2.3 meters above sea level and an
average of only 1.5 meters. If sea level rises too much, this "tropical paradise" could become
the first nation swallowed by the ocean because of global warming.
Bangladesh is where the Ganges River merges with the Brahmaputra River and forms a vast
delta. If sea level rises by 1 meter, about 50% of the Bangladesh could be inundated. Natural
disasters such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes occur each year in the area, and the
consequences are tragic. Due to climate warming the survival of the population itself is under
question.
Reduction of water reserves
In addition to rising sea levels, land and water reserves will shrink considerably. Why? It
seems paradoxical, but as the oceans swallow the coast, in some continental areas, water
resources will be reduced.
During winter, glaciers store water as snow and ice. Part of the reserve melts during spring
and rivers are formed or show an increased debit, watering depressions or hills. Because
glaciers shrink or melt completely, the amount of water that will be stored in winter will
decrease accordingly, proportioned to height / size of glaciers. This will cause a much
smaller flow of rivers and a shortage of water in lower altitudes.
For example in Peru, water reserves are about to become insufficient because one of the
main sources, Rio Santa, has a sharply declining output. This river springs high in the Andes
and is not supplied with enough water.
In addition, if glaciers melt, water will convert from it’s solid state to liquid. Liquid water
evaporates more easily. Again, a favorable condition for diminishing water resources on
land.
Alps-continental glaciers
The European Alps have a height lower than the Rocky Mountains, making them more
exposed to the effects of global warming. Because of the melting of glaciers, they could
disappear by 2050, and the wonderful alpine ski resorts there could turn into a beautiful
memory.
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-Radical temperature growth
The simple increase of temperature due to issued methane gas would be, in itself, a vital
factor of desertification. Searing temperatures of summer would dry vegetation leaving
animals without food sources. This phenomenon, if it were repeated several years in a row,
would lead to a visible desertification, would decrease soil quality, reduce plant population,
would change the earth's surface in one more arid.
High temperatures lead to evaporation and water vapor have a huge greenhouse effect. In
addition, if the atmospheric temperature would be somewhat homogeneous and cold air
currents would become a little warmer, air circulation, the wind, would be slowed down.
Rainfall would be rarified, too.
It would be very bad for people, animals and plants alike.
Expanding deserts
Global warming is an important factor which favors desertification. Reducing forest
territories, it is also an action for which man is primarily, if not exclusively, responsible.
What is desertification? Arid land, semi-dry areas extend, decay flowers, some soil patches
are overused and plants are degraded due to human activities or prolonged droughts and
floods.
According to estimates, the Sahara Desert continues to expand at a rate of 0.5 km per year.
The desert, already the largest in the world, could cover the whole of North Africa, altering
the environment of the continent
Cyprus, the third largest Mediterranean island, might be covered by desert by the end of this
century because of climate change and the drought some scientists say. By the end of this
century, Cyprus can expect another two months with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius,
in addition to the already existing summer months. There will also be less precipitation, and
water will evaporate more quickly, because of high temperatures.
In the heart of Africa, at the edge of the Sahara desert, Lake Chad is in a constant retreat for
tens of years (a decrease in volume of 95% by 1963). With a large surface but not exceeding
10.5 m depth, the lake was declared an ecological catastrophe by a United Nations
organization. The lake is dramatically affected by any change in temperature. Representing
one of the few water resources along with its tributary Logone Chari and Yobe, it is a true
trigger of conflicts between nations that depend on its resources: citizens of Niger, Nigeria,
Chad and Cameroon. Fishermen fight to save the lake while farmers will irrigate their
plantations with what little water is left.
Desertification has become a real threat to South Australia too. The entire region suffers
from lack of rainfall. In the area, more and more fires threaten agriculture, wildlife, and
hundreds of houses of locals.
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Kyoto Protocol. Ways to combat global warming.
How?
U.S. Energy Department and the European Union have recently started planning
several projects whose purpose is to combat global warming. NASA has a similar plan.
But researchers say the money and people devoted to this problem are minimal
considering the extent of the risk.
One of the most important international provisions on climate change is stipulated in the
Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol treaty was negotiated in December 1997 at the city of Kyoto, Japan and
came into force February 16th, 2005.
"The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement under which
industrialized countries will reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse
gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990 (but note that, compared to the
emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this
target represents a 29% cut). The goal is to lower overall emissions from six
greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur
hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year
period of 2008-12. National targets range from 8% reductions for the
European Union and some others to 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for
Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland."
Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels
of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity,
the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common
but differentiated responsibilities.”
Top ten GHG emitters 2005–percentage of the global total(%), per-capita emissions(tons)
China – 17%, 5.8
United States – 16%, 24.1
European Union – 11%, 10.6
Indonesia – 6%, 12.9
India – 5%, 2.1
Russia – 5%, 14.9
Brazil – 4%, 10.0
Japan – 3%, 10.6
Canada – 2%, 23.2
Mexico – 2%, 6.4
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Alternatives to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and to delay
critical temperature rising. Afforestation. Reduction individual-electric cars, green
transport means. A more responsible industry.
How?
By changing people's mentality. People must learn to take into consideration
environmental factors even when they make a trivial decision such as used means of
transport or energy source or even small everyday conveniences such as recycling.
Necessary governmental measures, efficient energy consumption, renewable energy,
smart grid usage, Generation IV nuclear reactors, carbon capture and storage are just
a few means by which people may change for the better.
Development of new and advanced communication systems and power supplies in order to
support humanity are necessary not just because of the ecological aspect but also because of
the dangers in current consumption and supply techniques, such as the danger of nuclear
reactors damage and radioactive waste warehouses problem, fossil fuel exhaustion, etc..
Although the appearance of chemical imbalance in the litho-, hydro- and atmosphere is by no
means negligible and is even the main problem.
A more efficient government program should support research centers. At least in Romania,
funds allocated to this sector are small and private institutions don’t compete to support
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development. Although Romania has the necessary human resources and institutions, less
money than necessary is invested in ecological preservation research.
An example of developing technology that should be put into usage as soon as possible are
Generation IV nuclear reactors, which produce minimal waste and are much safer than the
present. Currently, nuclear waste disposal is the so-called "Achilles heel" of the industry,
these being stored in individual sites in over 430 locations worldwide. The smallest leak of
these residues can cause mutations to any living being that comes into contact with them
directly or indirectly. They consist of uranium and radioactive actinides such as plutonium
and Curium with a long lifespan. Reprocessing of these residues would drastically reduce
emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Evolution of nuclear reactors
Alternatives are present today, so just not popular enough.
We face the need to lower anthropogenic emissions of methane (and black carbon) as quickly
as possible, to help stop and possibly stave off for the time being, just the kinds of dangers
we are talking about now from natural Arctic methane.
Perhaps 'methane time-bombs' will never go off, because our coming to better understand
their mechanisms and potential may rapidly lead to an action strategy, and we will defuse the
situation. The great climate scientist James Hansen once said something to the effect that
climate change doesn't have to be a tragedy, but it needs to be an action flick.
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Alternative energy sources are sufficiently developed that could replace a large percentage of
the current ones, but are more expensive. Solar or wind energy should prevail before one
based on nuclear or combustion processes.
Electric cars are on the market already, but alimentation stations are scarce on national roads
because owners of these cars are few. Leaving that aside, the big oil corporations still do not
allow installation of power sources for electric cars at tanking stations they own, not only
because they are not to their advantage, but alternative energy evolution may threaten the oil
market.
"Oil King" consuming world’s energy
The electrical vehicle issue can be resolved with minimal effort through publicity programs,
the spread of supply sources, co-financing to help people to buy such vehicles, etc.
Also, one must not overlook the cheapest mean of transport, which runs on calories instead
of fuel! The Bike!
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Bike
The easiest way to bring the greatest
benefits would be reforestation of the
planet. Forests would stop desertification,
would be an extension of wildlife habitat,
and would reduce the carbon dioxide mass
through photosynthesis. Tree planting can
be undertaken by individuals, or by a
larger organization or even by the state.
The benefits are many, rainfall would be
controlled, landslides and avalanches
could be prevented, animals could again
raise their offspring under natural
conditions.
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Sources
http://news.discovery.com/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/
http://wwf.panda.org/
http://www.awi.de
https://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://arctic-council.org
http://independent.co.uk/
http://www.methanenet.org/
http://ziare.com/
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