Global Warming - An essay using facts that show what increases Global Warming.

Essay by Sameera110High School, 10th gradeB, September 2013

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

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Global Sea-Level Rise

Earth today is most definitely not what it was a couple centuries or millenniums ago. Our planet, as we know it, goes through change everyday. Though sometimes, depending on how dire the change is, it can cause the process to accelerate greatly. A problem that certainly is not life-threatening at the moment probably will be in the coming years if the human race does not do something to decelerate it; it is the rising of sea levels. The global rise of sea levels is a crisis that needs to be taken seriously because if it continues, certain animals could risk extinction, and countries and islands could risk submersion.

Two major causes of global seal-level rise are thermal expansion and the increased melting of polar ice sheets (Ocean Facts). The increase of burning fossil fuels contributes to thermal expansion, and when the ocean heats up, it expands.

Polar ice sheets and glaciers would naturally melt a bit during warmer conditions. However, escalating temperatures due to global warming have led to longer summers, later winters, and earlier springs (National Geographic). Sea levels, because of this imbalance, have greatly risen over the past couple decades. If it continues, islands in the Caribbean, such as Grenada and Haiti, could risk submersion. Not only islands, but countries as well. For instance, Venice, Italy is a consequence of rising sea levels. The city is not fully submerged but is threatened with an increase of flooding as the waterline continues to rise.

Our environment and animals take the brunt of our actions. As the levels rise, arctic animals, such as polar bears, and costal habitats risk annihilation. If seawater rises, coastal areas can be destroyed by erosion, the aquifers can be contaminated, flooding will happen, and habitats for fishes, birds,