Introduction:
Thesis:
Global warming has had a number of negative effects on the ecosystems around the world. This can be attributed to the changes that it has introduced. The hot seasons become hotter, the cold seasons are colder and when it does rain, it is in torrents. All these radical changes in our weather are leaving behind a trail of destruction, hunger and change in the ecosystem.
Major points:
The effect of climate change on ecosystems can be classified into two. The first is the effect on terrestrial ecosystems while the second is the effect on marine ecosystems. Some of the major points on the effects of global warming on ecosystems to be discussed include:
How ecosystems are affected by the melting of the Polar ice caps - The melting of the ice caps has led to the depletion of the polar bear’s habitat. This is mainly because it lives on ice sheets. As ice sheets melt, polar bear territory is slowly reducing. This means that they have to compete for both food and shelter. Due to the increase in surface temperature most of the ice and snow is slowly melting (Casper, 2010).
How ecosystems are affected by fresh water becoming saline – Global warming has led to increases in ocean levels. Due to the rise in sea levels, effects such as coastal flooding and wearing down of most of the globes’ coastal regions. This has affected ecosystems that thrive on coastal regions. On the other hand, rivers and other water bodies are becoming saline due to the rise in the level of seawater. This affects ecosystems that live in fresh water lakes and rivers (Houghton, 2004).
How coral bleaching and acidification of oceans affects ecosystems - This is another environmental issue experienced in oceans due to global warming. As the levels of Carbon Dioxide continue to increase in the atmosphere, acidity of the oceans continues to increase. This greatly affects the ocean’s ecosystem since as the pH of the ocean changes organisms are unable to absorb nutrients. This is mainly because to the chemical imbalance introduced into the ocean. This has led to some of the oceanic species dying especially corals. In addition, this has led to some of the marine species migrating to other parts of the ocean, which are not affected by climate change (Houghton, 2004).
How depletion of natural habitats has affected ecosystems – One of the causes of global warming is deforestation. This has led to the destruction of plant and animal habitats and has led to the disruption of ecosystems that exist on forest floors. The increase in global warming is causing a decrease in animals that occur in the habitat. These animals are either being pushed to other regions or are dying off since they cannot adapt as fast as the change in weather. In addition, in some parts such as Australia climate change has been noted to destroy natural habitats through forest fires. Such fires are because of prolonged summer period and have resulted in the loss of precious plant and animal habitat (Casper, 2010).
How draught has affected ecosystems – Another outcome of global warming is draught. This has disrupted ecosystems mainly because due to draught plants die away and animals do not have food. These animals are either being pushed to other regions or are dying off since they cannot adapt as fast as the change in weather. The ecosystems are affected in that when there is a draught, there is no vegetation, this causes the animals to die since they have not adapted to such long periods without vegetation.
Migration of species – This is another result of climate change. Due to inhabitable conditions in some natural habitats, some species have been noted to have migrated to find better conditions. For example, in East Africa malaria has slowly become an epidemic. This is mainly because due to global warming mosquitoes are migrating into regions that were once cool. This is mainly because in such areas the temperature has increased. This has led to the rapid spread of malaria in regions where a few decades ago cases of malaria were nonexistent. This has presented a new social issue in such regions as more people continue dying due to such diseases (Casper, 2010).
References:
Casper, J. K. (2010). Changing ecosystems: Effects of global warming. New York: Facts on File
Houghton, J. T. (2004). Global warming: The complete briefing. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University.
