Essay Subject: Ecosystems and Environmental Studies
How Will Human Innovation be affected by Melting Permafrost?
Name: Sade Eubanks
Session: May 2016
Candidate Number: 003370-0023
Word Count: 3277
School: Walter Hines Page High School
Table of Contents:
Abstract……………………….3
Introduction…………………..5
Background………………….6
Human Innovation…………..9
Conclusion…………………14
Work Citation……………...16
ABSTRACT Rising temperatures has been an ever growing problem overall for the past half century but even the slightest change in the most seemingly unimportant areas of the environment can cause major disruption in the rest of the world. However, the one of the most unknown consequence of this heat wave is the affect it has on permafrost. …show more content…
Global warming in its broad meaning is the increase of the average of air temperature near the Earth 's surface. This is a natural process, which started about 18,000 years ago. During this time, large territories were covered by huge ice glaciers and world temperature was about 18 degrees Celsius below zero. That was the real Ice Age, lasting for many thousands of years. The problem of global warming, or to be more precise the problem of human contribution into this natural phenomenon, was addressed officially, when industrial nations made pledges to reduce …show more content…
It can be released back into the atmosphere as either carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4) (An inconvenient truth, pg. 22).Two gases that are known for their excellent abilities at trapping radiation from the Sun. There are two processes known as aerobic respiration, that releases carbon dioxide, and anaerobic respiration, which releases methane. Both of these are done by any living organism. In the case of permafrost however, since it dwells mostly underground in the soil, it lies with microbial bacteria. You see, over thousands of years a significant amount of bio-matter has accumulated within the permafrost. This is what those organisms feed on. The only reason up till this point that there has not been significant carbon and methane release is due to the cold nature of the permafrost. However, now, in recent years, that has changed due to the steadily warming temperature of the Earth. Micro-bacterial decomposition of the bio-matter from the warming conditions of has become more active. Thus, it is believed to be the sharp rise in activity that is excreting a major source of carbon into the atmosphere. How fast micro-bacterial breaks down organic substances found in the soil depends mostly on surrounding environmental factors, mainly temperature in this situation. When organic material comes out of the cold temperature, it is consumed by the more active bacteria. Since a majority of
How Will Human Innovation be affected by Melting Permafrost?
Name: Sade Eubanks
Session: May 2016
Candidate Number: 003370-0023
Word Count: 3277
School: Walter Hines Page High School
Table of Contents:
Abstract……………………….3
Introduction…………………..5
Background………………….6
Human Innovation…………..9
Conclusion…………………14
Work Citation……………...16
ABSTRACT Rising temperatures has been an ever growing problem overall for the past half century but even the slightest change in the most seemingly unimportant areas of the environment can cause major disruption in the rest of the world. However, the one of the most unknown consequence of this heat wave is the affect it has on permafrost. …show more content…
Global warming in its broad meaning is the increase of the average of air temperature near the Earth 's surface. This is a natural process, which started about 18,000 years ago. During this time, large territories were covered by huge ice glaciers and world temperature was about 18 degrees Celsius below zero. That was the real Ice Age, lasting for many thousands of years. The problem of global warming, or to be more precise the problem of human contribution into this natural phenomenon, was addressed officially, when industrial nations made pledges to reduce …show more content…
It can be released back into the atmosphere as either carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4) (An inconvenient truth, pg. 22).Two gases that are known for their excellent abilities at trapping radiation from the Sun. There are two processes known as aerobic respiration, that releases carbon dioxide, and anaerobic respiration, which releases methane. Both of these are done by any living organism. In the case of permafrost however, since it dwells mostly underground in the soil, it lies with microbial bacteria. You see, over thousands of years a significant amount of bio-matter has accumulated within the permafrost. This is what those organisms feed on. The only reason up till this point that there has not been significant carbon and methane release is due to the cold nature of the permafrost. However, now, in recent years, that has changed due to the steadily warming temperature of the Earth. Micro-bacterial decomposition of the bio-matter from the warming conditions of has become more active. Thus, it is believed to be the sharp rise in activity that is excreting a major source of carbon into the atmosphere. How fast micro-bacterial breaks down organic substances found in the soil depends mostly on surrounding environmental factors, mainly temperature in this situation. When organic material comes out of the cold temperature, it is consumed by the more active bacteria. Since a majority of