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Effects of Global Warming on Bodies

Global warming, or the warming of the planet's temperature, is primarily caused by emissions into the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. Clearing and burning forests also emits CO2 into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps the heat in the atmosphere. Global warming harms many biological and geophysical bodies, including glaciers, oceans, wildlife, penguins, polar bears and weather.

  1. Melting Glaciers and Rising Oceans

    • Climate scientists agree that global heating is causing bodies of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice to melt. Especially prevalent at the north and south poles, the melting also includes the ice sheets of West Antarctica and Greenland and the sea ice of the Arctic. As a result, bodies of oceans are rising in temperatures and levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2007 that sea levels should rise between 7 and 23 inches by the end of the century.

    Wildlife

    • The effect on wildlife, as the Environmental Defense Fund warns, is high. Thousands of species could become extinct because global warming is changing habitats and ecosystems and acidifying oceans. Migratory birds, for example, arrive at their destination but are unable to find food because insects, seeds and flowering plants hatched or bloomed earlier than usual. Warmer temperatures in winter spoils food and wildlife. The Gray Jay, for example, depends on cold-weather stored food for survival but finds none in his customary, but now over-warm, habitat.

    Penguins and Polar Bears

    • Penguins and polar bears are two of the numerous species of animals affected by climate warming. The penguin population on Antarctica has declined in 30 years from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000, according to researcher Bill Fraser, who has measured the decline. Warmer waters and fewer ice floes force them to leave in search of suitable habitats. Many polar bears are drowning, unable to swim the increasing distance between chunks of ice. The U.S. Geological Survey indicates 66 percent may not survive until 2050.

    Weather

    • Global warming is disrupting weather worldwide, causing increased hurricanes and floods. According to the Center for American Progress, the number of hurricanes each year has more than doubled over the twentieth century. Britain, in the summer of 2007, had its most severe flood in 60 years, and scientists blame rising sea temperature. Climate scientists believe hurricanes will be more frequent and severe as water temperatures continue to rise due to continued carbon dioxide emissions.

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