Global Warming Effects on

EarthBy Saagar Parikh

Accelerated Sea Rise and Increased Coastal

FloodingGlobal sea levels have been rising for the past several thousand years, owing to the retreat of glaciers from the last ice age.

Average global sea level has increased eight inches since 1880, but is rising much faster on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

Global warming is now accelerating the rate of sea level rise, increasing flooding risks to low-lying communities and coastal properties.

Longer and More Destructive Wildfire

SeasonsGlobal warming may be largely to blame for the increasingly destructive wildfires in the Western United States.

Scientists find that longer and fiercer wildfire seasons since 1986 are closely associated with warmer summer temperatures.

Higher spring and summer temperatures and earlier spring snow-melt result in forests that are hotter and drier for longer periods conditions for

of time, priming to ignite and

wildfiresspread.

More Frequent and Intense Heat Waves

Dangerously hot weather is already occurring more frequently than it did 60 years ago—and scientists expect heat waves to become more frequent and severe as global warming intensifies.

This increase in heat waves creates serious health risks, and can lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and aggravate existing medical conditions.

Widespread Forest Death in the Western

U.S.Tens of millions of trees have died in the Rocky Mountains itself over the past 15 years, victims of a climate-driven assault of tree-killing insects, wildfires, and stress from heat and drought.

Trees are dying twice as fast as they were 17 years ago in the Pacific Northwest, 25 years ago in California, and interior states taking 29 years to double.

Costly and Growing Health Impacts

Rising temperatures will likely lead to increased air pollution, a longer and more intense allergy season, the spread of insect-borne diseases, more frequent and dangerous heat waves, and heavier rainstorms and flooding.

All of these changes pose serious and costly risks to public health.

Increase in Extreme Weather Events

Scientific evidence shows that global warming is increasing certain types of extreme weather events, including heat waves, flooding, extreme precipitation events, fires, and severe droughts.

Global warming creates conditions that can lead to more powerful hurricanes and tornadoes.

Heavier Precipitation and

FloodingAs temperatures increase, more rain falls during the heaviest downpours, increasing the risk of flooding events.

More Severe Droughts

Climate change affects a variety of factors associated with drought and is likely to increase drought risk in certain regions.

As temperatures warm, the likeliness and duration of drought increases in the southwestern and western United States.

INCREASED DEPENDENCE ON GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES

As less rain falls in drought prone areas such as southwestern and western United States, many people are depending on groundwater from aquifers (natural, underground water reservoirs) to fulfill their needs.

More water from aquifers will be pumped, even as less rainfall comes to replenish it.

Sometimes this leads to the aquifers collapsing as groundwater is sucked out of the soil and the pressure is reduced.

In response, the land above actually drops, a process known as land subsidence.

Once this has occurred, the groundwater storage space is essentially lost forever. In some areas of California, land is dropping by approximately one foot a year due to land subsidence.5/6/2009 11/3/2009 4/25/2011

Changing Seasons

Spring arrives much earlier than it used to — 10 days earlier on average in the northern hemisphere.

Snow melts earlier. Reservoirs fill too early and water needs to be released for flood control.

Vegetation and soil dry out earlier, setting the stage for longer and more damaging wildfire seasons.

Melting IceTemperatures are rising in the planet's polar regions, especially in the Arctic, and the vast majority of the world's glaciers are melting faster than new snow and ice can replenish them.

Scientists expect the rate of melting to accelerate, with serious consequences for future sea level rise.

Disruptions to Food Supplies

Rising temperatures and the accompanying impacts of global warming — including more frequent heat waves, heavier precipitation, and more severe droughts in others — has significant implications for crop and meat production.

Global warming has potential to seriously disrupt our food supply, drive costs upward, and affect everything from coffee to cattle, from staple food crops to the garden in your backyard.

Destruction Of Coral Reefs

Higher sea temperatures from global warming have already caused major coral bleaching events. Bleaching occurs when corals respond to the stress of warmer temperatures by expelling the colorful algae that live within them.

Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the water cause additional damage to corals, leaving them defenseless against storm damage and erosion.

Some coral are able to recover, but too often the coral dies, and the entire ecosystem for which it forms the base, virtually disappears.

In one year alone, 16 percent of the world's coral reefs were wiped out. A sea temperature change of as little as one degree Celsius would yield similar losses.

Plant and Animal Range Shifts

A changing climate affects the range of plants and animals, changing their behavior and causing disruptions up and down the food chain.

The range of some warm-weather species will expand, while those that depend on cooler environments will face shrinking habitats and potential extinction.

Potential For Future Abrupt Climate Change

Scientists know that Earth's climate has changed abruptly in the past. Even though it is unlikely to occur in the near future, global warming may increase the risk of such events.

One of the most significant potential results is a shift in an ocean circulation pattern known as thermohaline circulation, which would have drastic climate changes and widespread consequences for Europe and the U.S. East Coast.