What I learned about Climate Change

After many, many graphs (they are a favorite pastime of Scientist Steve), I know for sure that climate change is occurring. At night, after my work in the field, I heard several lectures about climate change and why the continued study and research in the Arctic is necessary. I feel so privileged to have been apart of this. All my work in the snow pits and with the branchlets helped collect data that will document this serious problem.


Over thousands of years, the Earth has gone through temperature fluctuations from hot to cold and back again. Now the Earth has begun to break out of this cycle. The Earth has been warming by 0.6 degrees in the past 30 years. This is unprecedented.















How will climate change effect the Arctic?


1. The scientists predict that there will be a 3.5 to 6 degree temperature increase in the Arctic in the next 100 years. This will have huge effects on this cold climate. A one degree temperature increase will result in two weeks being added to the growing season.

2. The sea ice is thinning and shrinking in the Northern Hemisphere. It is breaking up a month earlier which has resulted in a 22% decrease in the polar bear population.

3. The depletion of the the ozone means that people are more at risk for skin cancer because we will be receiving more UV radiation.

4. And there could and most likely will be more negative effects.

What can you, as an individual and a part of our global community, do to help reverse climate change?