Climate change skeptics often argue that a small change in temperature - even a degree or two - won't make a difference across ecosystems. While scientists wish that were really true, it's not. As it turns out, one degree can make a whole lot of difference.
The earth has already warmed at least 1 degree Farenheit in the last century, with an anticipated acceleration in warming predicted for the next one hundred years. Unfortunately, scientists are already seeing an impact on regional ecosystem health due to this one degree change in temperature.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Many species of Ohio flowers are blooming much earlier then they did in the past. Researchers report that one species, the mock orange bush, blooms 10 days earlier than the mid-1980s average.
- Multiple, consecutive warm years have triggered the reproductive success of the bark beetle, which has been ferociously feasting on trees within the Dixie National Forest in Utah. Foresters report hundreds of thousands of acres of devastated forest in the 18 years.
- A rise in oceanic temperature, associated with warming atmospheric temperatures, has caused significant coral bleaching and mortality throughout tropical waters.
- Researchers report that rising air temperatures in the Sierra Nevada is exacerbating the effects of disease on populations of amphibians in this ecologically unique tropical region.
Surprised that we're already observing the adverse effects of global warming? Scientiest aren't. Unfortunately the amount of data continues to rise as ecosystems continue to change. Unfortunately, even more drastic examples than those previously mentioned are inevitable.
While the forecasts of scientists attempt to disentangle the effects of climate change from these other causes of change, it is difficult to say the least. What scientists can predict, however, is that an anthropogenically-induced warming of our earth is only exacerbating these mounting, multidimensional pressures. While not everyone agrees with placing the blame on human activity, the fact remains that our planet is heating up. With an impending presidential election in the United States, it is as important as ever to set the record straight on the observed effects global warming.