Cause and Effect Melting Glaciers

After reading 'Creeping Along' by David Hill the Avengers described the causes and effects of melting glaciers.

Glaciers form an important part of the hydrosphere. They provide habitat for animals, regulate the temperature on earth and helps maintain sea levels. However in recent times glaciers in the polar regions have been melting due to global warming.

Joshua L and Ethan

One cause of melting glaciers is carbon dioxide heating up the atmosphere, making a hole allowing the sun’s rays to pass through and melt the ice. The sun’s heat melts the glaciers allowing the water to drip into the sea, raising the sea levels. The increased carbon dioxide comes from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation like cars and trains. The effect of melting glaciers is that sea levels rise and swamp coastal cities. A city that has been flooded by rising seas is Venice, Italy (2008)

Ella

Melting glaciers is also caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal for electricity. increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leaves holes in the Ozone layer, which is needed to prevent harmful UV rays melting the ice caps. The effect of melting glaciers is the destruction of animals habitats that live in the polar regions, such as the endangered Polar bear.

Sam and Kirsty

A further cause of melting glaciers is methane emissions from animals e.g. cows. When cows let gas go during digestion the methane travels into the atmosphere to the ozone layer eventually leaving holes. The holes allow harmful UV rays from the sun to pass through to Earth. This causes global warming, which melts polar ice caps and melts glaciers. The effects of the melting glaciers are lack of fresh water with glaciers melting at a faster rate than what the rivers can normally hold, the fresh drinking water overflows into the sea and is wasted because it then turns into salt water.

To prevent further melting of glaciers in the polar regions we need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Firstly we could change our habits, for example eating less meat by having a plant based diet would mean that less animals would need to be farmed causing fewer methane emissions.  A further change we could make is how we use transportation. We could use electric vehicles, carpool or use public transport to lessen how much we rely on fossil fuels. Lastly we could be using renewable energy such as solar, hydro and wind power to power our homes and businesses. Overall it is everyone's responsibility to do what they can to prevent the devastating impact melting glaciers would have on earth.