How Might Global Warming Affect the Worlds Coldest Places?
If you lived in Antarctica and global warming hit what would you do? We researched how global warming would affect the world’s coldest places, such as Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world, what do you think would happen to it if global warming hit? If you think about it, it seems impossible but don’t be too sure about that.
Some problems of global warming hitting Antarctica would be that snow and ice would melt. If they melted the animals would not have anywhere to live, they would most likely die. Some of the animals in Antarctica are penguins and polar bears, these animals could become extinct if global warming hits. A lot of people that live there would not be able to survive.
Some effects of global warming hitting Antarctica are, Rising temperatures cause ice shelves to break up - as they are floating already this will not affect sea levels, it may cause the glaciers behind them to speed up their flow-rate considerably. These glaciers will add to sea-level rise if they melt. Another reason is the temperature of Antarctica as a whole is predicted to rise by a small amount over the next 50 years. Any increase in the rate of ice melting is expected to be at least partly offset by increased snowfall as a result of the warming.
If Global warming hit Antarctica, it would not be impossible. Some of these impacts, such as pollution, can be relatively localized. However, global climate change caused by human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has the potential to affect the entire Antarctic region for decades to come. The researchers said rising sea temperatures are already affecting marine creatures adapted to living within a particular temperature range. Leading scientific organizations around the world, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, agree we must act now to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions or face irreversible consequences.