Global warming truly is something I can't escape. Separating myself and past entries, I decided to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then, as I laid back in search of something to watch during my dinner, I chose the Discovery Channel. I had hoped for Mythbusters or How It's Made, but instead found a special on global warming.
Within Alaska, there are mosaics of lakes and cracks in the earth. How is it that Alaska may be one of the largest greenhouse gas producers in the world? Methane. A defining factor of Alaskan agriculture is permafrost, which describes the condition of sub-layers below the ground. It's permanently frozen soil, and any plant life that can meager an existence quickly dries up due to inefficient roots. Freezing temperatures has preserved the permafrost, however, due to warming temperatures the frost is thawing. As permafrost thaws, it releases methane gas into the ground, lakes, waterways and air.
Additionally, the melting of ice sheets is causing global temperatures to rise. These sheets in the Pacific act as mirrors, reflecting the suns rays back into space. The other analogy used, was that the ice sheets are the earths air conditioners. They perform two dominate purposes, reflect warming rays and cool the Pacific Ocean. They are able to directly cool the Ocean the same way ice cools beverages.
Global Warming is allowing Polar and Grizzly bears to not only live, but reproduce together. Prizzlies, as they're called, is claimed to be the next common hybrid. The importance of this, Grizzly bears are common in Alaska, but it is the polar bear that has developed to withstand ice regions. Seeing the two together signifies ice cap melting, and seeing them reproduce shows sustain for future generations.
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