Into the Book, a reading strategies web site for teachers and students, explains that when readers summarize, they “identify key elements and condense important information into their own words during and after reading to solidify meaning.”The site offers a simpler definition for students: “Tell what’s important.” The polar regions have experienced some remarkable environmental changes in recent decades, such as the Antarctic ozone hole, the loss of large amounts of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean and major warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. xii, 434 p. ISBN. The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that some of the largest climatic changes over the next century are expected to occur at high latitudes (Solomon et al. The polar regions are also predicted to warm more than any other region on Earth over the next century if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise. The region is a complex ecosystem Regions with polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth's area. Climate change will likely increasingly stress coastal communities and habitats, worsening the existing stresses of population, development, and pollution on infrastructure, human health, and the ecosystem. Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas, and a range of other impacts. Large blocks of permanent ice and tundra are what make these regions distinctive. Melting ice and rising seas. The polar regions are also predicted to warm more than any other region on Earth over the next century if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise. The effects of climate change are likely to be some of the biggest environmental challenges our generation has ever faced. Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Wildlife Technical Report (Review) 04-2012 5 Greenpeace International Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Wildlife Technical Report (Review) 04-2012 Polar bears The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the world’s largest bear (WWF). Yet … Contrasting climate change in the two polar regions por_128 146..164 John Turner1 & Jim Overland2 1 British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK 2 Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA por_128 146..164 Abstract The two polar regions have experienced … The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the world. This amplified warming on both poles seems to have a substantial impact on local and remote weather/climate and the respective life forms in the regions, most of which are exposed to … *FREE* shipping on eligible orders. Home » Climate Change and the Polar Regions » Lessons and Activities to Build the Foundations for Climate Literacy Lessons and Activities to Build the Foundations for Climate Literacy. 1912 . The changes will affect the plankton at the base of the food chain, their predators, and so on up to the top of the chain, affecting polar bears and humans. Rising temperatures. Climate change is here, heating the oceans and crumbling the planet’s ice sheets, a new report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lays out. Tourism and Change in Polar Regions: Climate, Environments and Experiences When water warms up it expands. The warmest temperatures are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and these are short-lived. Climate Change and the Polar Regions book. We are the first generation to know about it and we are the last that can do anything about it. These impacts are expected to intensify in the coming decades. Warming in the Arctic . Impacts from climate change are happening now. The effects of climate change are not the same in all parts of the world. Inhibitory effects of climate change on the growth and extracellular enzyme activities of a widespread Antarctic soil fungus Temperatures approaching or exceeding 20 °C have been measured during summer in polar regions at the surfaces of barren fellfield soils under cloudless skies around solar noon. Water. Rapid Climate Change in the Arctic: Polar Research as a Global Responsibility . According to Blue Planet Biomes, polar climate regions usually only have four months of temperatures above freezing. Polar bears live on the ice-covered waters of the Arctic, relying almost entirely on the sea ice for their survival. Climate change will have a drastic impact on our forests, oceans, freshwaters, polar regions, and all of its inhabitants. The polar regions are also predicted to warm more than any other region on Earth over the next century if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise. Climate change and the polar regions. [Michael Burgan] -- EXPLORING THE POLAR REGIONS TODAY8 titles64 pages eachThis series explores topics related to the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the globe. These impacts extend well beyond an increase in temperature, affecting ecosystems and communities in the United States and around the world. The polar regions have experienced some remarkable environmental changes in recent decades, such as the Antarctic ozone hole, the loss of large amounts of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean and major warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. Sea ice extent 2012 . Polar regions are characterized by a lack of a true summer. Some of the questions we receive ask why we should care about the polar regions. imprint. Things that we depend upon and value — water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health — are experiencing the effects of a changing climate. ph-polar.jpg For centuries, humankind has been fascinated with the harsh winds, vast frigid waters, and landscapes built of ice and snow in the polar/subpolar eco-region. Because sea ice has a bright surface, 50-70 percent of incoming energy is reflected back into space. Climate change is altering habitats quickly, forcing animals into increasing conflict with people in the Arctic. Foreword . What does summarizing mean? fOREwORd . WWF also tracks polar bears by satellite to determine how far and where they travel and how this might be changing. The Polar Regions: Climate Change and Environmental Management By Jan-Gunnar Winther, director Norwegian Polar Institute EGM on Oceans, Seas and Sustainable Development: Implementation and follow-up to Rio+20. In Russia, WWF helped form patrols to monitor and help protect polar bears and walruses. In both polar regions, climate-induced changes in ocean and sea ice, together with human introduction of non-native species, have expanded the range of temperate species and contracted the range of polar fish and ice-associated species (high confidence). Climate change in the polar regions / John Turner and Gareth J. Marshall. In some regions extreme weather events and rainfall are becoming more common while others are experiencing more extreme heat waves and droughts. The polar regions are also predicted to warm more than any other region on Earth over the next century if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise. Changes in the Arctic have effects that cascade through the food chain, from phytoplankton to marine mammals such as seals, walrus, whales, and polar bears. Yet trying to separate natural climate variability from anthropogenic factors still presents many problems. AR5 Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis AR5 Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability AR5 Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change RESEARCH . While global average temperature has risen 1°C (1.8°F) above the 1950-1980 average, our planet's polar regions are experiencing warming at a faster rate than other places. The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers. While climate change is not explicitly addressed in the elementary science standards and curricula, many of its foundational concepts are. Yet trying to separate natural climate variability from anthropogenic factors still presents many problems. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "warming in the Arctic, as indicated by daily maximum and minimum temperatures, has been as great as in any other part of the world." Polar ice shields are melting and the sea is rising. Get this from a library! Cambridge : New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011. description. SUMMARIZING. The rapid climate change occurring in the Arctic and how it affects non-Arctic regions is no longer a topic just for scientists. One of the clearest signs of climate change is the loss of floating sea ice in the Arctic The polar regions are most vulnerable to climate change, as demonstrated by the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases, which amplify warming in both the Arctic and the western part of Antarctica. Climate change affects all regions around the world. So changes in the Arctic climate could affect the climate in the rest of the world. Climate change melting polar regions faster than ever before. The period of 1995–2005 was the warmest decade in the Arctic since at least the 17th century, with temperatures 2 °C (3.6 °F) above the 1951–1990 average. Studies show that some of the areas most vulnerable to climate change are the Earth's polar and mountainous regions. The extreme climate and unique landscape have attracted explorers seeking adventure and compelled people to create new methods to live in these inhospitable conditions. Tourism and Change in Polar Regions: Climate, Environments and Experiences [Hall, Michael C., Saarinen, Jarkko] on Amazon.com.au. Impacts on Polar Regions [21] Climate changes will likely reduce the thickness and extent of glaciers and ice sheets. Every month in a polar climate has an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F). Though they can be geographically very different, these cold regions fundamentally share the characteristics of what is known as the cryosphere: covered with frozen soil, snow and glaciers and with a fragile land-water ecosystem equilibrium. New York April 19th 2013 . Buy Climate Change in the Polar Regions (9780521850100): NHBS - John Turner and Gareth J Marshall, Cambridge University Press As sea ice melts in the summer, it exposes the dark ocean surface. 2012 . Polar regions receive less intense solar radiation than the other parts of Earth because the sun's energy arrives at an oblique angle, spreading over a larger area, and also travels a longer distance through the Earth's atmosphere in which it may be absorbed, scattered or reflected, which is the same thing that causes winters to be colder than the rest of the year in temperate areas. Changes in the Arctic climate are important because the Arctic acts as a refrigerator for the rest of the world—it helps cool the planet. Climate change is starving polar bears into extinction, ... One is the expanding fasting period, which varies across regions and can last for half-a-year or more. These regions are very important in regulating global temperature. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. The changes in the ocean ice and current conditions of the Arctic are affect-ing the global climate and Europe in particular. 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