Thawing Arctic Sea: The Effect on the Artic Tundra

Natalie Boelman
Published Tuesday September 25, 2012 by CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/25/opinion/boelman-arctic-tundra/index.html?iref=allsearch

Summary

On September 16th, it was reported that the Arctic Sea ice cover reached the lowest level ever recorded. Due to global warming, the Arctic Sea ice has been melting. In addition to shrinking the polar bears’ habitat and reducing the amount of area that reflects the sun’s light, the melting ice also affects the nearby Arctic tundra. In the same way that large bodies of water moderate coastal temperature patterns, the Arctic Ocean has an impact on the tundra. Less sea ice means a warmer climate, which causes the permafrost, the tundra’s frozen soil, to thaw more. This releases stored carbon in the form of carbon dioxide and methane, both greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere. The last record low before this one was in 2007 and caused a fire that lasted for two and a half months and covered an area 10% larger than Manhattan.

The warming climate has an effect on the tundra’s plant and animal species. The short vegetation is becoming taller because warmer soils allow for larger, woody plants. This could have an effect on the animal species that nest in the grasses, some of which may not be able to adapt and could then create a disrupting domino effect on the tundra’s food web.

Connection

This connects to our unit on ecology. It talks about biomes, specifically the tundra, and the characteristics of the biome, such as climate patterns and vegetation. It also relates the effect human activity has on the ecosystem through global warming. It is related to the carbon cycle as the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane are released due to the thawing permafrost, which contributes to global warming. In addition, it connects to the lessons on the food web and chain because of the domino effect the warming climate has on the tundra’s species.