Michelle+Lee+-+Notes+on+arctic+glacier+melt


 * // __What is the effect of glacier melt on Canada and the global community?__ //**

"the Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the globe as a whole"
===**Key Question:** How will Canada and the world be affected by the glacier melt in 50 years at the rate it is going at right now? (Including all aspects that will be affected: economy, environment, geography…etc.) ===


· // Composed of fresh water (holds about 77% of the world’s freshwater) //**// --> //**// when enormous glacier melts, can significantly change the salinity of the oceans //**// --> //**// water becomes uninhabitable for sea life // · Humans can’t stop the glacier melt · Scientists say ** --> ** ice caps will be fully melted in 30 years · ** --> ** Only two decades left for ice in Mount Kilimanjaro · “A 1.4 metre rise in the sea level by 2100” See a detailed chart of the effects of glacier melt in this website: []
 * // __Facts about glaciers:__ //**
 * // __Effects of glacier melt:__ //**

· Sea-level rise ** -- ** **>** land loss (by 20cm per century in the Maritimes) · More frequent flooding of wetlands and shores · ** --> ** During sever storms, high tides · Upward, land-ward migration of beaches ** --> ** loss of beach · Cliff erosion · Salt water intrusion into coastal freshwater aquifers ** --> ** drinking water contaminated by polluted seas · Impacts on coastal ecosystems · Advance global warming more quickly – White sea ice cools the Earth’s surface by reflecting off sunlight – when they are gone, global warming will speed up · Inundation of **wetlands and other low lying lands** · Increased wave attack · // Balance of globe shifting due to ice melt – West Antarctic Ice Sheet, (WAIS) //

· Canadian marine life said to be most varied in North America · ** --> ** Home to more than 5000 species of invertebrates, 400 species of fish …etc. · Near the Vancouver Island – Pacific gray whales, humpback whales, mink whales, Pacific white sided dolphins, harbor porpoises, Dall’s porpoises, harbor seals, Stellar’s sea lions · GLOBAL- Arctic sea ice is shrinking at 7% per decade · ** --> ** Sea ice provides hunting ground for polar bears, shelter and transportation of seals, walrus, arctic foxes, Inuit people You can see the __**endangered coastlines in Canada**__ in this website: []
 * // Salinity level and the marine ecosystem – Canada and Marine Biology: //**
 * // Coastline loss in Canada: //**

· Roughly seven million Canadians in coastal areas · ** --> ** Depend on ocean resources, tourism for living · Canada has more than 240 000 km of shoreline – more than any other country in the world · Coastal zones – important for trade, transportation, tourism · ** --> ** Support many marine and terrestrial species – key for fisheries and recreation · // Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) // · Impacts on coastal zone: sea level rise (leading to more melting of glaciers) · IPCC says: global average sea level will rise: 9cm – 88cm from 1990 to 2100 · Major concerns: increase in storm surge flooding ** --> ** biophysical and socio-economic impacts ** --> ** fisheries, transportation, tourism, recreation, communities · More extensive coastal flooding · Increased coastal erosion · Saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers · Reduced sea-ice cover · Higher storm-surge flooding · Higher sea surface temperatures · Loss of coastal habitat · Damage to coastal infrastructure (used for transportation, recreation) · Increased length of shipping season · Increased property loss · Increased risk of disease · Increased flood risks and potential loss of life · Changes in renewable and subsistence resources (Ex. Fisheries) · Loss of cultural resources and values · Movement of saline water ** --> ** saltwater intrusion · Caused by ground-water pumping from coastal wells, or natural process – storm surge from a hurricane -- from land loss and coastline loss, there will be more common storm surge, as well as closer coastal aquifers · Occurs in all coastal aquifers · Storm surge – offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system · ** --> ** Caused by high winds pushing on the ocean’s surface, water piles up higher than the usual sea level
 * __BIOPHYSICAL IMPACTS:__ **
 * __SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS:__ **
 * // Saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers: //**
 * // Higher storm-surge flooding: //**

__** Bibliography: **__

(2004, March 12). //Impacts on sea level rise and climate change on the coastal zone of southeastern new// //brunswick//. Retrieved from []

Brown, T.L. (2009, November 22). //How the World will look if the ice caps melt//. Retrieved from []

//Canada//. (n.d.). Retrieved from []

//Climate change impacts and adaptation//. (n.d.). Retrieved from []

//Saltwater intrusion//. (n.d.). Retrieved from []

//Storm surge//. (n.d.). Retrieved from []

//Nature canada//. (2007). Retrieved from []

(2007, June). //Effects of sea-level rise on water resources of small islands and low-lying coastal areas//. Retrieved from [|http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/effects-of-sea-level-rise-on-water-resources-of-small-islands-and-low-lying-] [|coastal-areas]

//Coastal zones and sea level rise//. (n.d.). Retrieved from []

Mann, M.E., & Kump, L.R. (2009). //Dire predictions//. New York, United States: DK Publishing, Inc..