The Effects of Global Climate Change
Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels the Inter-governmental Panel on climate change (IPCC) assessment reports predict, 18-59 cm, sea level rise by 2100. This rise can be caused in two ways:
· Rise due to thermal expansion: Water, like other substance expands as it warms. Thermal expansion contributes more than half of the rise in sea level. The current rate is about 3mm per year.
· Rise due to melting of glacier and thawing of ice at the South Pole: As the overall temperature of the earth has increased, a major thawing of glaciers and the polar ice caps has occurred. The area of ice-covered ocean in the Arctic has decreased significantly over the past several decades. Mountain glaciers around the world are also melting at accelerating rates.
Increasing Ocean Acidification As there is increase in CO₂ in the atmosphere; there is going to be more CO₂ in the oceans. The resulting change in the acid content of the ocean will disrupt the ability of plants and animals in the sea to make shells and selection of calcium carbonate. Marine creatures will have thinner shells or skeleton. This will decline the ocean biodiversity.
Changes in the precipitation
