As mentioned in class here is an article about the lack of ice coverage on the Great Lakes.
Read the article, watch the video too and think:
1) Why is this an issue?
2) What type(s) of issue is this?
3) What further effects could this have on us in Barrie?
4) How is this a World Issue?
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/near-record-low-ice-cover-on-great-lakes-worries-scientists/63205/
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ReplyDeleteEach ecosystem is diverse but they all rely one another. When something is affected in nature, there are thousands of implications. With the lack of ice on the great lakes this year, not only will humanity be affected, but the natural ecosystem as well. It's very concerning that with the increase in precipitation that climatologists are expecting-due to the fact that the lakes still haven't frozen- the rivers will erode more of the riverbed and bring more pollution into our water system. This is dangerous not only to our drinking water, but to the animals that live in the rivers. Small animals like minnows are not used to the pollution and access of water and die off in high numbers. Not only are the small animals affected, but the larger fish like trout whitefish have trouble reproducing after winters with warmer waters. The lack of fish then affects the fisherman and eventually this all relates back to us. This would effect not only people, but the environment and even possibly the economy. In the article I have added, it is visible that since 1973 the ice coverage has gone down in astonishing amounts with Lake Ontario leading at 88%. This means that the winters are only going to be more snowy and intense for Southern Ontarians. This is important to see because the article talks about how cold the past two years have been which may skew the reader into believing that the sole reason for the lack of ice is because of the El Nino winter. In reality, the ice coverage has gone a drastic percentage. Overall, the ice coverage on all five great lakes together has gone down 71%. This is horrific. If this is not a clear indication that the north american lifestyle has a huge affect globally on climate change, then I don't know what is.
http://glisa.umich.edu/climate/great-lakes-ice-coverage
Unfortunately Tosha, this isn't a clear indication that something is wrong. There are so many people who are naive enough to believe that we don;t have an effect on climate change, or worse: don't care. They don't understand that it will affect them in the long run. It is time we start putting these words into action. Some people already have, but it is not enough, if it were, we wouldn't still be in this situation. So my question to you is: what do you believe we can do to really change this? Because all we've done so far is slow it down, and although this is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. My fear is that we will not change until it is too late. If the ice on the Great Lakes has already been reduced to 71%, I fear it will need to go down another 30-40% before we do anything that makes a difference.
DeleteGreat post with stats to back up your opinion. Sadly people aren't complaining enough about the winter being warm this year.
DeleteMark this one...
ReplyDeleteEach ecosystem is diverse but they all rely one another. When something is affected in nature, there are thousands of implications. With the lack of ice on the great lakes this year, not only will humanity be affected, but the natural ecosystem as well. It's very concerning that with the increase in precipitation that climatologists are expecting-due to the fact that the lakes still haven't frozen- the rivers will erode more of the riverbed and bring more pollution into our water system. This is dangerous not only to our drinking water, but to the animals that live in the rivers. Small animals like minnows are not used to the pollution and access of water and die off in high numbers. Not only are the small animals affected, but the larger fish like trout whitefish have trouble reproducing after winters with warmer waters. The lack of fish then affects the fisherman and eventually this all relates back to us. This would effect not only people, but the environment and even possibly the economy. In the article I have added, it is visible that since 1973 the ice coverage has gone down in astonishing amounts with Lake Ontario leading at 88%. This means that the winters are only going to be more snowy and intense for Southern Ontarians. This is important to see because the article talks about how cold the past two years have been which may skew the reader into believing that the sole reason for the lack of ice is because of the El Nino winter. In reality, the ice coverage has gone a drastic percentage. Overall, the ice coverage on all five great lakes together has gone down 71%. This is horrific. If this is not a clear indication that the north american lifestyle has a huge affect globally on climate change, then I don't know what is.
http://glisa.umich.edu/climate/great-lakes-ice-coverage
i liked Tosha's point about how this is proof of our urgent need of a lifestyle change. after putting climate change on the back burner for decades, it's time to address and solve the issue.
Deletei liked Tosha's point about how this is proof of our urgent need of a lifestyle change. after putting climate change on the back burner for decades, it's time to address and solve the issue.
DeleteI agree with Tosha in the sense that the lack of ice coverage on the great lakes is extremity frightening. This is a very undeniable problem that the world as a whole NEEDS to face. We are recognizing the problem of climate change yet the effort for a large change has yet to make an impact. This is just a sign that our Eco system will soon begin to be depleted and our world will soon be drastically changing for the worst.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tosha and Bronwyn. The decrease of ice on our great lakes is not good for our future environments. It may feel nice right now, that is isn't as cold and long winter. But, on the terms of just environment, we are ruining our system and in the end it will change our world for the worse.
ReplyDeleteMark.
ReplyDeleteThis article highlights the major concerns resulting from this year’s record-low levels of ice coverage on the Great Lakes. Ice coverage was 3.8 % on January 11—considerably low compared to last year’s value of 50.5 %. Such levels of ice coverage are a product of mild temperatures brought on by the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.
This is a major environmental concern. In addition to dangerous weather conditions (i.e. lake-effect snow), lack of ice coverage provides great concern for ecosystems. As stated by Elizabeth Hendricks, director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Freshwater Program, precipitation in warm winters increases river flow (in rivers that feed the Great Lakes), thus promoting riverbank erosion and greater pollution. As a result, species that are foreign to high flows in winter suffer. Moreover, fish, such as Lake Trout and Lake Whitefish experience effects in reproduction. The most significant consequence of minimal ice coverage is an imbalance that is imposed on the food web. In other words, warmer water temperatures and the absent of low water flow and melting snow interferes with the actions (that of which are dependent on the environment) of species. Disruptions to the bottom of the food chain affect the top, including humans. Further, the increased water temperatures provide conditions that algae thrive in; blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms, present in Lake Erie, are of specific concern. A number of possible toxins exist within algae, harming ecosystems and contaminating fresh drinking water. (David Suzuki Foundation, 2011)
On the other hand, the economy is influenced by the unfrozen Great Lakes. Industries, which rely on shipping transportation, benefit from a lack of ice on the Great lakes. Hence, shipping season is extended further into winter and the upcoming season is predictably earlier. (Lada, 2016)
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/great-lakes-nearly-devoid-of-ice-as-el-nino-influenced-warmth-dominates-early-winter/55155718
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/media/news/downloads/Mink%20Industry%20and%20Lakes%20in%20Nova%20Scotia.pdf
Great post. Interesting how it is all interconnected isn't it.
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ReplyDeleteMany people this year may be rejoicing at the lack of harsh wind chills and sever weather conditions that we have been experiencing. However this is not a phenomenon that we should be celebrating... its actually quite dangerous and causes several issues to arrive. Due to these high temperatures we have been experiencing recently, there is a broad amount of lakes left uncovered by ice. This year we have only 5.7% of our great lakes covered by ice. To put that into perspective, that is a drop of 44.8% from last year. This obviously has serious consequences that follow. The first issues to arise are Environmental, some of which we are experiencing right now. Weather conditions lately have become severe compared to the nice highs we received earlier in the past two weeks. The low ice coverage allows for cloud condensation and cloud formations. This leaves us with lower temperatures and snow squalls. Another environmental issue that becomes of this is higher tides in spring and summer. This is very harmful for our ecosystem. The GLERL states that they are investigating harmful algal blooms and the effect that it has been having on Lake Erie. They are causing our lakes to be more polluted which is a large issue for fish and can throw off our food chain. From these Environmental issues other issues emerge, with a more polluted lake there are less fish. This has a great impact on our economy and the lives of Southern Ontarian fishers. This allows for social issues that can arise between communities of Southern Ontario due to lost jobs and poverty levels rising. The further effects this could have on Barrie include; harsher winters, higher tides, lower fish populations, and higher rate of pollution in Lake Simcoe. This is a world issue because it is not limited to Southern Ontario. Climate change is something that effects the whole world and the human race. Our planets temperature has been dropping drastically and there are ways to prevent it. Without a solution we are letting our planet die and we need to do something about it. This issue is relevant to not only our Great Lakes, but also our planet.
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/
https://www.ec.gc.ca/grandslacs-greatlakes/
Is this humans or just natural cycle with El Nino?
DeleteGood post.
Mark this one:
ReplyDeleteMany people this year may be rejoicing at the lack of harsh wind chills and sever weather conditions that we have been experiencing. However this is not a phenomenon that we should be celebrating... its actually quite dangerous and causes several issues to arrive. Due to these high temperatures we have been experiencing recently, there is a broad amount of lakes left uncovered by ice. This year we have only 5.7% of our great lakes covered by ice. To put that into perspective, that is a drop of 44.8% from last year. This obviously has serious consequences that follow. The first issues to arise are Environmental, some of which we are experiencing right now. Weather conditions lately have become severe compared to the nice highs we received earlier in the past two weeks. The low ice coverage allows for cloud condensation and cloud formations. This leaves us with lower temperatures and snow squalls. Another environmental issue that becomes of this is higher tides in spring and summer. This is very harmful for our ecosystem. The GLERL states that they are investigating harmful algal blooms and the effect that it has been having on Lake Erie. They are causing our lakes to be more polluted which is a large issue for fish and can throw off our food chain. From these Environmental issues other issues emerge, with a more polluted lake there are less fish. This has a great impact on our economy and the lives of Southern Ontarian fishers. This allows for social issues that can arise between communities of Southern Ontario due to lost jobs and poverty levels rising. The further effects this could have on Barrie include; harsher winters, higher tides, lower fish populations, and higher rate of pollution in Lake Simcoe. This is a world issue because it is not limited to Southern Ontario. Climate change is something that effects the whole world and the human race. Our planets temperature has been dropping drastically and there are ways to prevent it. Without a solution we are letting our planet die and we need to do something about it. This issue is relevant to not only our Great Lakes, but also our planet.
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/
https://www.ec.gc.ca/grandslacs-greatlakes/
I agree with Sam, this is a much larger environmental problem than people realize. If this isn't a good call of action, than I don't know what is. Something needs to change in order to help our climate and pollution problems. It won't be easy and that's why it's definitely a world issue and not just southern Ontario.
DeleteI agree with Sam, this is a much larger environmental problem than people realize. If this isn't a good call of action, than I don't know what is. Something needs to change in order to help our climate and pollution problems. It won't be easy and that's why it's definitely a world issue and not just southern Ontario.
DeleteI really like your post Sam and how you put into perspective that ice coverage has dropped by 44% in one year. It’s alarming the effect ice coverage has on our environment and ecosystems. Our current weather conditions have been botched as in us having harsher winters, severe snow squalls, lower temperatures, etc. here in Barrie. But the climate change has been affected elsewhere too. I believe El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases so while El Niño is affecting the pacific, la Niña is affecting the southeast. So with the marine life being affected negatively due to poor conditions to spawn, the food web will be completely unbalanced. So like Sam said, this is an issue not limited to us in Southern Ontario but the rest of the world.
DeleteI totally agree that this has been a strange winter. Between the huge snow storms and then complete thaws, that has left us with less snow than normal and some intense weather days that make it hard to go anywhere. I know that many of us are happy with the warmer weather despite the environmental confers. However, I don't believe this is directly related to climate change. I recently went through one of my Dad's fishing photo albums and found some interesting dated photos. In 1998 there was a similar weather pattern. These photos consisted of my father fishing on open rivers (that would normally be frozen) from November all the way throughout the winter until February. There were a few times that he would have to break a skim of ice, but for the most part there was no ice cover. And it was similar for the great lakes (unfortunately causing a few deaths of people trying to go ice fishing). In 1998, (the year the majority of us were born) 18 years ago, there was almost exactly the same lack of ice. And all ecosystems survived and rebounded from the strange weather pattern. That was before the issue of climate change was a commonly viewed problem. So as much as the lack of ice is somewhat alarming, and bad for ice fishermen, I don't feel as strongly about it being a direct connection to climate change.
DeleteEnvironmental concerns**
DeleteHello! Please mark this one:
ReplyDeleteThe lack of ice on North America's Great Lakes is a severe issue that is already effecting and will be drastically changing our ecosystems and habitants. Scientists and climatologists are hypothesizing that the lack of ice on the Great Lakes will cause more precipitation in the form of rain, which in turn, will cause increased river flow. They believe that this will cause river bank erosion and more pollution. Although it seems minor, river bank erosion is a critical issue; it causes a loss of agricultural land, cultivable land, agricultural production, and loss of settlement (Azim Uddin & Jayanta Kumar Basak, 2012).
The increased amount of pollution will also have a negative impact on our world, prominently because of climate change and global warming. CO2 production has increased drastically, which definitely plays a role in the feedback loop of less ice on the Great Lakes. What is interesting is that a scientist names Assel predicted this in his 1991 research paper. He stated, “Under the three projected 2 X CO, greenhouse warming scenarios ice cover duration is shorter, ice covers are less extensive, and the frequency of winters without ice cover is greater for Lake Erie than for Lake Superior. Under an average 2 X CO, scenario, ice cover is likely to be limited to the shore area and shallows of both lakes.” I find this interesting because although he was a viable researcher, no one decided to take action from his predictions.
The scientists also believe that the food chain will also be greatly affected. It is expected that the lakes and rivers will heat up faster, changing the spawning time of aquatic animals. Since aquatic animals are mostly at the bottom of the food chain, all the animals that are predators will be affected by this change.
In Barrie, we will be affected along with the rest of the world. Firstly, we will most likely notice the increased temperatures during the winter time. We will also notice the intense snow squalls and dangerous winter weather conditions. But as time goes on, we will start to notice the changes in our ecosystems and environment as mentioned above.
This issue is an environmental issue that has an effect on politics, the economy, and society as well. The North American’s tend to look up to their political leaders in times of difficulty, especially concerning environment. They look up to politicians to make the big decisions that will help our climate for the better. The unfortunate truth is that by-laws and political decisions will likely have a minor effect on our climate. As a society, the habitants of America need to all do their part independently. It is truly the little things that count! The impact needs to be social and world wide. If everyone were to change how they live in order to help our climate, then the world would already be a better place.
The economy is of course affected by our exports and tourism. If our climate changes, it is likely that are main exports will be affected or changed. We could expect a likely dip in money if we are not prepared to deal with our changing climate and the production of exports. Since Canada is a beautiful country, we get numerous tourists a year. If our climate changes to a dangerous or stormy environment, we can expect a decrease in tourists. This will mean less outside money is spent in Canada; therefore, our economy will be affected.
BRITTANY ASTOP-FORD
Sources:
http://www.bdresearch.org.bd/home/attachments/article/758/Effects_of_Riverbank_Erosion_on_Livelihood.pdf
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/02/22/great-lakes-ice-coverage-in-striking-distance-of-a-record/
Great post. A little long though. Interesting how it is all interconnected isn't it?
DeleteMark this one…
ReplyDeleteThe great lakes have a huge effect on the environment and weather in southern Ontario. With so many echo systems depending on them, even a slight temperature drop could prove to be catastrophic. Right now roughly 5.7% of the Great lakes are covered in ice. This is compared to the 50.5% coverage this time last year. With 2015 already being the hottest year on record and it being an El Niño year, things aren’t looking too good. This is a problem because the winds that travel across the great lakes are now picking up the moisture and carrying it over to us. This means heavy, and erratic snow storms. Besides the extreme weather, no ice on the lakes could mean warmer summer temperatures. Leading to a blue and green algae outbreak, destroying the lakes ecosystem.
This is an environmental problem. This is because if the Great lakes start to get warmer and stop freezing over, many ecosystems across the country could change. Also, southern Ontario could start getting even harsher snowstorms and inclement weather.
If the Great lakes stop freezing over it would change Barrie for the worst. First of all, we would get more snow. This would affect every part of the city, from transportation to utilities. Also, the warmer water temperatures could cause algae outbreaks. This would alter the lakes echo system and could potentially kill off certain species native to the Great lakes.
This is a world issue because the warmer temperatures directly correlate to climate change. Humans all over the world have contributed to the warming of earth and now we’re feeling the consequences. Also, the Great lakes are some of the world’s largest fresh water reserves. If we don’t take care of them, we could be in a lot more trouble soon.
Here is an article that looks into this growing issue: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/despite-the-chills-the-great-lakes-are-remarkably-ice-free/62297
Good post. Is it humans or just a natural cycle?
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ReplyDeleteIronically, I'm writing a comment about record low ice levels on the great lakes during the coldest record-breaking weekend for many years. However, this is unusual for this particular winter. I believe that the lack of ice on the Great Lakes is an issue for a couple of major reasons. One being that the lack of frozen water leads to more lake effect snow which is a big consequence for Barrie because we are in the path of the snow streamers. This causes dangerous weather conditions. When Georgian Bay freezes over, the lake effect snow stops. The lower temperature also means a quicker melt in the spring, which leads to extreme riverbank erosion. This also impacts wildlife greatly. As stated in the article, it affects certain animals’ judgment on when to reproduce which in turn, affects the food web. This is not only an issue in Canada. It affects the whole world. For example, the higher temperatures affect the polar ice caps, Greenland glaciers, and mountain glaciers… just to name a few. Relating this article back to the four “PEES” we talked about in class, this issues quite obviously falls under the environmental category. However is you believe that climate change is anthropogenic (human made) than it is a political issue as well. In other words humans can take action to slow it down. I believe that this is exactly the case and that humans should do as much as possible to reduce climate change.
Sources:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/lake-effect-snow-to-impact-southern-ontario/62319
http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/anthropogenic-climate-change.html
Good post. How come we don't have that much snow if the lakes are wide open? Will we still get the flooding of meltwaters if there isn't much snow?
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