Essay Example on CRITERIA The increasing rate of global climate Change

CRITERIA The increasing rate of global climate change seen in this century and predicted to accelerate into the next will significantly impact the Earth's oceans In this review we examine previously published seagrass research through a lens of global climate change in order to consider the potential effects on the world s seagrasses A primary effect of increased global temperature on seagrasses will be the alteration of growth rates and other physiological functions of the plants themselves The distribution of seagrasses will shift as a result of increased temperature stress and changes in the patterns of sexual reproduction Indirect temperature effects may include plant community changes as a result of increased eutrophication and changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events The direct effects of sea level rise on the coastal oceans will be to increase water depths change tidal variation both mean tide level and tidal prism alter water movement and increase seawater intrusion into estuaries and rivers A major impact of all these changes on seagrasses and tidal freshwater plants will be a redistribution of existing habitats 

The impact of increases in CO2 will vary with species and environmental circumstances but will likely include species distribution by altering the competition between seagrass species as well as between seagrass and algal populations The reaction of seagrasses to UV B radiation may range from inhibition of photosynthetic activity as seen for terrestrial plants and marine algae to the increased metabolic cost of producing UV B blocking compounds within plant tissue The effects of UV B radiation will likely be greatest in the tropics and in southern oceans There is every reason to believe that as with the predicted terrestrial effects of global climate change impacts to seagrasses will be great The changes that will occur in seagrass communities are difficult to predict our assessment clearly points out the need for research directed toward the impact of global climate change on seagrasses GLOBAL WARNING SOLUTIONS We have the practical solutions at hand to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions slow the pace of global warming and pass on a healthier safer world to future generations 

Here's how we can accomplish it Reduce Emissions In order to effectively address global warming we must significantly reduce the amount of heat trapping emissions we are putting into the atmosphere As individuals we can help by taking action to reduce our personal carbon emissions

But to fully address the threat of global warming we must demand action from our elected leaders to support and implement a comprehensive set of climate solutions Stop Deforestation Tropical deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of the world s heat trapping emissions equivalent to the annual tailpipe emissions of 600 million average U S cars Reducing tropical deforestation can significantly lower global warming emissions and together with efforts to reduce emissions from fossil fuels plays an integral role in a comprehensive long term solution to global warming Fight Misinformation Why has it been so difficult to achieve meaningful solutions to global warming Media pundits partisan think tanks and special interest groups funded by fossil fuel and related industries raise doubts about the truth of global warming This barrage of misinformation misleads and confuses the public about the growing impacts of global warming and makes it more difficult to implement solutions to effectively reduce the man made emissions that cause global warming Prepare for Impacts Certain consequences of global warming are now inevitable including sea level rise more frequent and severe heat waves growing wildfire risks and an increase in extreme weather events These were once largely preventable but foot dragging by our leaders and policy makers over the past two decades means that we must now confront the dangerous new reality of rising temperatures and the serious impacts that accompany them