Final IT Assignment

8/4/2019 Final IT Assignment

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IIPM NEW DELHI

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYGLOBAL WARMING

ISBE (B)/FW/10-12 SECTION FJ2

IN GUIDANCE OF

PROF. SANJANA ADLAKHA

PREPARED & SUBMITED BY

KUNJAN SINGH


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INDEX

GLOBLE WARMING IN ALASKA

1. Water bodies and wetlands

2. Vegetation

3. Ice, Glaciers, and Permafrost

4. Animals

5. Infrastructure

6. Health

7. Economy

8. Indigenous Cultures
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen0http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen1http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen2http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen3http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen4http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen5http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen6http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen7http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen7http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen6http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen5http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen4http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen3http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen2http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen1http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen0


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j Surface Air Temperature Trends 1942-2003

More than anywhere else in the United States, Alaska hasexperienced widespread, adverse impacts from global warming,

which are well documented and representative of some of thesubstantial costs associated with human-caused climate change.

While the earth has warmed approximately 1F in the last 50

years, according to the National Assessment Synthesis Team,

Alaska has warmed approximately 4F during this same time

period. In many ways, Alaska is the Paul Revere of Global

Warming, and serves as a sentinel for the impacts of globalwarming. In the Last Frontier these impacts are pervasive and

include damage to Alaskas aquatic systems and wetlands,

vegetation, ice, glaciers, permafrost, animals, infrastructure,

health, economy, quality of life, and indigenous cultures.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_changehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacierhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacierhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_change


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Table of Contents

1 Water bodies and wetlands2 Vegetation3 Ice, Glaciers, and Permafrost4 Animals5 Infrastructure

6 Health7 Economy8 Indigenous Cultures

Water bodies and wetlands

Drying Ponds. (Source: Riordan, et al. 2006)

Water bodies throughout almost all of Alaska are shrinking. In

an exhaustive study of closed ponds, scientists have documenteda significant loss in the number of ponds in key ecological areasin the last half of the 20th century, including: Copper RiverBasin (54% loss in number of ponds); Minto Flats (36% loss);Innoko Flats (30% loss).
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen0http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen1http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen2http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen3http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen4http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen5http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen6http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen7http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen7http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen6http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen5http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen4http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen3http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen2http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen1http://www.eoearth.org/article/Impacts_of_global_warming_in_Alaska#gen0


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central Alaska, where it is dry, white spruce and black sprucehave shown documented declines in growth. Projecting forward,a 4C increase in July temperatures would result in no growth ofthese species in much of interior Alaska.

Spruce Bark Beetle. (Source: Columbia University and USFS)

Throughout Alaska trees are more vulnerable to increased

diseases because of warmer temperatures. For example, south-central Alaska experienced the worlds largest outbreak ofspruce bark beetles, killing more than 4 million acres of maturetree stands. Three global warming factors were responsible forthis unprecedented outbreak. With longer warmer summers, thespruce bark beetle can complete its life cycle in one year insteadof two. Winter temperatures have not been cold enough in twoconsecutive years to depress survival rates. And finally, the treeshave not been able to defend themselves with sufficient pitchbecause of the stress of heat and drought.

Other serious warming-related diseases that have damaged orkilled large numbers of trees include the larch saw fly, spruce
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Temperaturehttp://www.columbia.edu/~jas194http://www.columbia.edu/~jas194http://www.eoearth.org/article/Temperature


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bud worm, birch leaf miner, aspen leaf miner, spruce aphid, andbirch leaf rollers.

Alaska Acres Burned, 1956-2005. (Source: NOAA NationalClimate Data Center)

In Southeast Alaska, scientists have documented a massive die-off of yellow cedar on over 500,000 acres of land. Manyconsider yellow cedar the Tongass National Forests most

valuable tree both economically and culturally. Because of

warmer temperatures, there has been less snow to protect thetree roots and also early dehardening of the foliage. Then, whenthere is a subsequent late freeze, the foliage and roots areseverely injured, leading to tree death.

Vegetation has also been impacted by record breaking fireseasons in Alaska. In 2004, over 6.6 million acres burned, in thelargest Alaska fire season ever documented. In 2005,approximately 4.6 million acres of Alaska burned, the thirdlargest area ever recorded. Cumulatively, during these twoyears, over 25% of the forests in the northeast sector of Alaskaperished. These burn rates are entirely consistent with globalwarming models and predictions. During the last thirty years,
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html


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the area burned in western North America has doubled, and it isforecast to increase by as much as 80% over the next 100 yearsunder projected climate warming.

Ice, Glaciers, and Permafrost

Glacier Bay (Riggs Glacier), Alaska. (Source: Matt Nolan)

Melting permafrost causes infrastructure collapse. (Source:Vladimir Romanovsky)


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The Arctic Ice Cap is a key ecological component of Alaskas

Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. There was a record low amount ofArctic sea ice in September 2005, and it failed to recover.Between 1979 and 2005, an area twice the size of Texas hasmelted away, over a 20% decrease in the minimum summerarea. In November 2006, ice coverage was the lowest everrecorded for that month. The Bering Sea Ice Sheet is alsoretreating with documented biological impacts.

The rapid retreat of Alaskas glaciers represents about 50% ofthe estimated mass loss by glaciers through 2004 worldwide.Between 1961 and 1998, Alaska and a small part of Canada lostover 588 billion cubic yards of glacial mass. In southeastAlaska, glacier surface elevations decreased over 95% of the

area analyzed, with some glaciers thinning in a 52 year periodby as much as 640 m (approximately 2,100 feet).

With respect to permafrost, all of the permafrost observatories inAlaska show a substantial warming during the last 20 years,often resulting in damage to infrastructure, rivers, shorelines,lakes, and forests. In locations such as Franklin Bluff on theNorth Slope, the top layer of permafrost has warmed 3C

between 1987 and 2003. Notably, the warming of permafrosthas penetrated deeply, with observations of 2C warming 60 feetunder the ground.

Animals
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacierhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Meterhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Riverhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Riverhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Meterhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacier


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Polar Bear. (Source: Photo environmentaldefense.org All

rights reserved)Whether on ice, land or water, animals throughout Alaska, haveexperienced impacts due to global warming.

Polar bears rely on sea ice for their survival, including feeding,mating, and resting. Because of global warming, Alaskan polarbears have experienced less sea ice for their habitat, drownings,

dislocation from sea ice, cannibalism; starvation, smaller skullsize, and higher cub mortality. Similar ice conditions and trendsin the Western Hudson Bay population in Canada have resultedin a 22% population decline in 17 years.

Yukon River Warming Temperatures. (Source: Richard Kocan)
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_icehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_icehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming


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In the last fifteen years, the population of Southern Beaufort Seapolar bears has been estimated to be as high as 2,500 bears, andthen 1,800 bears. Recently, using the most rigorous surveyingmethodology yet, the population is believed to be 1,526 bears.

The decrease in sea ice jeopardizes this species. Between 1979and 1991, 87% of Alaska polar bears surveyed were found

mostly on sea ice. This percentage fell to 33% from 1992 to2004. The impacts include a statistically significant decline inthe survival rate for first year polar bear cubs in the southernBeaufort Sea from 0.61 per adult female between 1967-89 to0.25 per adult female between 1990-2006. Skull measurementsof both first year cubs and adult males were also statisticallysignificantly smaller.

In 2006, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) classified polarbears as vulnerable, concluding that five populations of polarbears are declining: southern Beaufort Sea, Western HudsonBay, Norwegian Bay, Kane Basin, and Baffin Bay. In 2001, theyonly concluded that one population was declining.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/World_Conservation_Union_(IUCN)http://www.eoearth.org/article/World_Conservation_Union_(IUCN)


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Kenai Streams: Days Above Temperature Standard. (Source:Cook Inlet Keeper, January 2006)

Other Alaska ice dependent species are showing signs of globalwarming stress, such as walrus and ice seals. As ice pulls awayfrom the continental shelf, the platform used for feeding, therehave been observations of abandoned walrus calves. The snow

cavities for some ring seals and other ice seals can collapse withwarming temperatures, exposing their young to predation orfreezing.

Salmon populations, arguably Alaskas most ecologically and

economically significant species, are affected by increasedtemperatures. Because the Yukon River has warmed over 10F,up to 45% of Yukon salmon are now infected with the parasiteIcthyophonus, never found before 1985. After the warm summerof 2004, the pink salmon harvest in Southeast Alaska wasdramatically lower than predicted in 2006. The AlaskaDepartment of Fish and Game (ADF&G) had forecast a purseseine catch of 52 million. According to ADF&G, the actualharvest was only 11.4 million, 40 million less than predicted.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Walrushttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Temperaturehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Temperaturehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Walrus


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Kittlitz murrelets. (Photo 2004 Gary Luhm. All rightsreserved.)

ADF&G also has established standards for salmon habitat watertemperatures, concluding that temperatures above 55F areunhealthy for spawning areas. In four streams monitored inAlaskas salmon-rich Kenai Peninsula in 2005, each water body

exceeded this themperature threshold more than 80 days.

Fish and other species in the Bering Sea, the nations fishbasket, are also showing signs of stress. The Northern BeringSea is starting to change from arctic to subarctic conditionscaused by warmer air and water temperatures, and less sea ice.Even bottom water temperatures are demonstrably increasing.The prey base of benthic (bottom) feeding walrus, endangered

sea ducks like spectacled eiders, and gray whales is declining.Snow crab catches have declined 85% in six years along withother crab decreases; and crab populations have shiftednorthward. Yellowfin sole and Greenland turbot catches havebeen dropping, concurrently with declines in fur seals and
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_icehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Walrushttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Gray_whalehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Gray_whalehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Walrushttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_ice


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seabirds. Some pollock are moving into Russian waters becauseof global warming. Recent surveys have measured the firstdecrease in U.S. pollock stocks in Alaskan waters in six years,which resulted in reducing the catch allotment. In short,warming waters are creating a northward migration of marinelife on an unprecedented scale.

Rapidly retreating glaciers disrupt both fish and birds. Sockeyesalmon fry in Skilak Lake showed substantial declines in size intwo recent years of large glacial melting. Fry in 2004 were about50% smaller than average for the prior decade; fry in 2005 were60% smaller. Similarly, the Kittlitzs murrelet, which feed at the

edge of glaciers, declined 60% between 1991 and 1999 inGlacier Bay and declined 83% since 1976 in Kenai Fjords.

Infrastructure

Shishmaref, Alaska. (Source: Tony Weyiouanna, Sr.)

Because global warming in Alaska is resulting in acceleratedshoreline erosion, melting permafrost and increased flooding,infrastructure is being damaged, and in some cases entirecommunities must be relocated. Some shorelines have retreated
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacierhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Glacierhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming


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more than 1,500 feet over past few decades. In Western Alaska,the community of Newtok lost 2-3 miles of shore in 40 years.Approximately, 184 communities are at risk from flooding anderosion according to a General Accounting Office estimate.

In 2005, while the nation focused on hurricanes in the Gulf ofMexico, Western Alaska experienced a brutal storm, adversely

affecting 34 communities. The storm surge in Nome was 9 feetabove normal high tides with waves of 12 to 15 feet. Newtoksaw 5 to 10 feet of beach disappear along with equipment like a1,000 gallon fuel tank, and Unalakleet lost 10 to 20 feet ofbeach.

In response to a Congressional request, the Army Corps ofEngineers issued a report detailing relocation needs for sevenAlaska coastal communities. The report estimates thatShishmaref, Kivalina, and Newtok have only 10 to 15 years leftto remain in their present storm-battered locations, and predictsthat it will cost as much as $355 million to move them. This costestimate does not include the social upheaval associated withmoving from a location, as in the case of Shishmaref, that hasbeen occupied for over 4,000 years by a culturally recognized

tribe.


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traditionally prided itself on being the Home of the Iditarod.

However, for four consecutive years between 2003 and 2006,Iditarod organizers have moved the start of the Iditarod fromWasilla, with adverse economic consequences for the city tomore northerly Willow or Fairbanks. Fires and fishery lossesdue to global warming also have economic consequences. Firesare not only costly to health, but also to fight. The record-breaking 2004 season in Alaska cost over $108 million, while in2005 fire fighting cost $56 million. Representing a loss of tensof millions of dollars, the 6% pollock quota reduction is one ofthe many fishery economic losses associated with globalwarming.

Indigenous Cultures

Shishmaref people gathering berries. (Source: Kelly

Eningowuk)

Because of their close association with the land, water,vegetation, animals, and weather conditions, Alaska Nativecultures are experiencing many consequences of globalwarming. According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)http://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)


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(ACIA), Climate change is occurring faster than people canadapt. [It] is strongly affecting people in many communities, insome cases threatening their cultural survival. The ACIA

further notes:the Arctic is becoming an environment atrisk sea ice is less stable, unusual weather patterns areoccurring, vegetation cover is changing, and particular animalsare no longer found in traditional hunting areas during specificseasons. Local landscapes, seascapes, and icescapes arebecoming unfamiliar, making people feel like strangers in theirown land.

Even artifacts and graves are at risk. For example, indigenouspeoples have occupied the region around the coastal village ofPoint Hope for at least 2,000 years. This area contains some of

the richest archaeological resources in Alaska. Because of globalwarming, the coast is eroding into the sea, permanently washingaway precious artifacts and human history. Losing irreplaceablearchaeological information is another consequence of globalwarming.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)http://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)http://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_changehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctichttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_icehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warminghttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Sea_icehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctichttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_changehttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Arctic_Climate_Impact_Assessment_(ACIA)


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References

www.google.com

www.alsakaconservation.com
http://www.google.com/http://www.google.com/http://www.alsakaconservation.com/http://www.alsakaconservation.com/http://www.alsakaconservation.com/http://www.google.com/

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