Science question

My presentation is about the article “On Thin Ice” by Charles Wohlforth

Wohlforth a scientist who is researching the climate change has set out to the Arctic to a whaling camp to study the effects of the climate change to the natives who live there, the Inupiat. Wohlforth joins many whaling trips to understand how the Natives are living with and surviving the climate change. The whaling trips give him information and knowledge on how the ice is reacting to the change. The Inupiat have been living and learning off the land at the Arctic for thousands of years. The Inupiat have been trained to process their observations into useful information for decision making. They also believe in a spiritual foundation and respecting the environment.

Scientist predicted that global climate change would come first and strongest at the Arctic. The sea ice that is a critical component of Arctic marine ecosystems is projected to disappear in the summer within a generation. The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world. As the Arctic loses snow and ice, bare rock and water absorb more and more of the sun’s energy, making it ever warmer. This is called the albedo effect. They are trying to learn how the sky, ice, snow, water, and tundra interact to drive the changes in the environment. A slight shift in temperature, bringing averages above the freezing point, will completely alter the character of the region. Polar bears could become extinct by the end of this century if there is an almost complete loss of summer sea ice cover. As snow and ice melt, the ability of the Arctic to reflect heat back to space is reduced, accelerating the overall rate of global warming. Some arctic fisheries will disappear. We are likely to see more forest fires and storm damage to coastal communities in the Arctic. Glaciers, sea ice and tundra will melt, contributing to global sea level rises. A warmer Arctic could halt the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water and weather to north-western Europe. Barrow is the most popular research site than any other in the Arctic. Hunting is no longer possible in June and July because the weather is to warm and the meat spoils. Different species of birds are appearing for the first time because of the climate change. The whaling camp is suffering from the climate change. The ice is melting and starting to become thin. They can no longer pull up whales on ice next to the boats in some instances because the ice is too thin. Some hunters are getting trapped on shore ice which breaks off into the sea while hunting sea lions. The whaling community is being affected slowly by the climate change. The Inupiat depend on the wildlife, ice, and the timing of the seasons for their livelihood. Understanding climate change for the Inupiat through trial and error is their way to learn the truth by living it.

1. What are the Natives going to do if the ice does eventually melt and there is no more hunting to be done?

2. What is going to happen to the continents when the ice caps melt away?

3. How else is global warming affecting us?

Respond question 1,2 and 3