Impacts & Management of Global Climate Change in Cold Environments
- Rises in global warming have led to unprecedented levels of melting in cold environments
- Approximately 40% of permafrost areas are at risk of degradation, melting and the development of thermokarst subsidence (see periglacial processes here)
- Very cold areas will remain well below freezing even if they experience a rise in temperature, such as in central Antarctica
- The average air temperature in the Arctic has risen by over 2 °C since 1960, nearly twice as fast as the average global temperature increase
- The extent and thickness of the sea ice have declined, threatening the traditional hunter-gatherer existence of the Inuit
- Changes in seasonal melt have placed ice-dependent animals at risk
- The far northern Canadian polar bears are expected to face starvation and reproductive failure by 2100
Present and Future Impacts of Climate Change
Present Impacts | Future Impacts |
Rates of global glacial retreat has increased | Positive feedback of methane release from the permafrost into the atmosphere, raising greenhouse gas levels |
Sea level rise due to melting glaciers and ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica | Flooding of cold, low-lying coastal areas due to further sea level rise as warming temperatures accelerate glacial melting |
Permafrost melting is accelerating, causing buildings and roads to collapse | Winter sports regions are seeing reduced snowfall, which has economic impacts for the locals. By 2050, only resorts above 1500 m would be able to offer snow for 100 days or more |
Ice roads, which are essential supply routes, are open for less time each year | Ingress of warmer-loving flora and fauna into cold regions as temperatures increase, outcompeting native species |
Migratory patterns of birds and animals are changing inline with seasonal changes | Existing flora and fauna become extinct as they are unable to adapt to warmer climate quickly enough |
Increasing UV radiation has caused alterations to phytoplankton communities, impacting the food chain | Flooding and landslides increase, as inland glaciers retreat |
- There may be some advantages of global climate change in cold environments, such as:
- Rising temperatures increases agricultural output as the length of the growing season increases
- The extent of cultivable land increases as permafrost levels decrease
- Forestry, particularly coniferous forestry, may be possible as the treeline extents poleward
- Tourism may increase in certain areas as they become more accessible
- Rising temperatures increases agricultural output as the length of the growing season increases
- However, most of these benefits are only short-term and eventually, these environments will become too extreme for people, settlements and economic activities to continue
Exam Tip
Being synoptic in your exam is an important skill the examiner is looking for. Therefore, remember to draw on knowledge of climate change from other parts of the course, such as permafrost acting as a carbon sink and the impact it has on the carbon cycle, etc.