Monday, April 09, 2012

Blog 11: Delilah Kelly Ecosystems Dependent On Snowy Winters Most Threatened, Long Term Research Confirms


Ecosystems that depend on winter seasons of snow and ice are drastically threatened by the growing incline in global warming. This article stresses the importance of longitudinal studies in predicting and tracking the effects that global warming will have on the ecosystems within our environments. For example, in our mountain areas snowpacks are the main source of water for human use and irrigation purposes. Longitudinal research shows that many of the mountainous areas focused on throughout the study are major resources for agricultural environments especially in the city environments. As temperatures increase significant amounts of water throughout our streams are lost in the atmosphere. Researchers have observed that dry areas of land are more resilient to climate warming and tend to conserve more water as global climate continues to make large impacts on the rest of our environments. Scientists have observed a massive decline in the size of our cryoshpere. This is the part of the Earth that is greatly affected by snow and ice. This is just one more example of ways that global warming is visible throughout our entire atmosphere. We are even able to view the ways the global warming in cold environments may harm plant and animal life. It becomes a chain reaction and soon microbes, plants, and animals that depend on snow and ice will begin to diminish. As an individual from a more southern country region of the Nation it is not easy for me to think of the effects that climate change will have in colder regions. This article brings lights to those of us who fail to realize the entire scope of effects the global warming has on every population in every environment.

University of New Mexico, Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network (2012, April 6). Ecosystems dependent on snowy winters most threatened, long term research confirms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 9, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2012/04/120406082846.htm

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