After Austrailia the bad news seems to come from Taiwan where the coral reefs on southeastern coast have turned black with a disease possible due to the sewage discharge, thus threatening the entire fragile coastal ecosystem which would eventually lead to a huge loss in the tourism industry.
This long observed problem comprises of extensive coral erosion in Taiwan waters upto 5 meters deep and 300 meters offshore from the two outlying islands. Moreover, the problem seems to take a serious turn when the situation got graver due to plundering of coral reefs and continued dumping of waste in the sea.Fortunately, the government seems keen in getting things right on course.
Watch Out For The Big Meltdown!!!
While the Arctic thaw remains quite a worry, scientists seem to be sweating as problems arrive down south. A team of geophysicists from The University Of Toronto have predicted that the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet would result in sea levels affecting the coastlines of North America. They also predicted that nations south of the Indian Ocean will face the greatest threats from the resulting rising sea levels. The trend is particularly worrisome.
The West Antarctic is fringed by ice sheets which act to stabilize the ice sheet. Sensitive to global warming, fractures in the ice sheet will eventually result in a collapse due to the expansion of water.
If that happens , the rise in sea levels is 25% higher than average. An estimated risk of a six to seven metres of sea level rise if the sheet melts away. Looks like we truly are in deep water this time.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
News from the scene.....
Well, the world seems to be experiencing more than just an economic crunch; its the environment that calls our attention this time. And a very recent and satisfying example to this continuing problem is being observed right here in India. The Sunderbans as many would be aware of is the largest deltaic region in the world. This swampy archipelago spread over a 2600 sq km area is also a well known biological hotspot.
To everybody's knowledge, the rising of sea levels is a very concerning prediction regarding the consequences of climate change. With the sea level rising in some regions of the Bay of Bengal at 3.14 milli metres anually against a global average of 2.2 mm, it threatens the low lying areas of eastern India. Climate experts had warned that the the rise in temperatures would eventually result in a lot of activity in the Indian continent such as floods, storms and other natural disasters. With the aforesaid concerns, the situation got even worse when scientists observed a surprising growth of mangroves on the river Ganga.This was due to a phenomenon called the "extension of the salt wedge" which would eventually salinate the groundwater of the region and turn agricultural lands barren in the adjoining area.And that my dear friends means that the country's biggest river now faces an unprecedented flow of saline water, thus threatening various fresh water ecosystems depending upon the river.
The government of India has certainly given vent to the concerns regarding the river and I expect necessary action would be taken soon. But the question still remains- will a temporary solution be enough to change what requires a global incentive? I leave you to find that answer.....
To everybody's knowledge, the rising of sea levels is a very concerning prediction regarding the consequences of climate change. With the sea level rising in some regions of the Bay of Bengal at 3.14 milli metres anually against a global average of 2.2 mm, it threatens the low lying areas of eastern India. Climate experts had warned that the the rise in temperatures would eventually result in a lot of activity in the Indian continent such as floods, storms and other natural disasters. With the aforesaid concerns, the situation got even worse when scientists observed a surprising growth of mangroves on the river Ganga.This was due to a phenomenon called the "extension of the salt wedge" which would eventually salinate the groundwater of the region and turn agricultural lands barren in the adjoining area.And that my dear friends means that the country's biggest river now faces an unprecedented flow of saline water, thus threatening various fresh water ecosystems depending upon the river.
The government of India has certainly given vent to the concerns regarding the river and I expect necessary action would be taken soon. But the question still remains- will a temporary solution be enough to change what requires a global incentive? I leave you to find that answer.....
