Drastic Effects of Climate Change and Global Warming - Essay Example

Your teacher’s How climate change/global warming affect the reindeer and its surroundings (community) - Tundra Climate change which refers primarily to the global warming issue has shed its negative effects on the reindeer population in the Tundra region. As a result of this climate change, the food harvest has been hit drastically reducing the available food for the reindeer and its community. Adding to this the rapid industry growth has also lessened the available grazing land for the animals (Colman 2009). The increased traffic, roads and emergence of more buildings and industries - all put together have destroyed the vast habitat of reindeers. Thus the climate change has caused a drastic adverse effect on the reindeer and its community. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), known as Caribou, inhabit primarily the areas of arctic tundra and mountain tundra. In addition to this they are also found in Russia, Scandinavia and forests of North America. The reindeer species community can be categorised into 7 subspecies, namely: Peary caribou, Finnish (forest) reindeer caribou,woodland Caribou, Barrenground caribou, Greenland caribou, Svalbard caribou and European (Eurasian tundra) reindeer caribou. The Forest Reindeer and the Eurasian Tundra Reindeer exist in Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden. In the Arctic and Subarctic, the most common huge land mammal found is the Caribou, Rangifer tarandus. Caribou are commonly found gathering in huge herds during their brief Arctic summer and scatter in small groups during the periods of rest of the year. Due to their huge numbers caribou also form the foundation of the traditional economy for many people in the tundra region. The Eurasian reindeer that are also the same specie as the North American caribou are generally semi-domesticated and are herded, protected more often than their North American counterparts. The Reindeers – all species inhabit in areas that are ecologically sensitive making it difficult for its herders to carry out their routine task as it takes a lot of time for them to adapt to even at times of minor disturbances in the ecosystem. The staple food for the reindeer is the lichen. The species feed on many different kinds of lichens, from caribou moss to the types that are found in abundance growing on trees. However the climate change has a great impact on caribou feeding. The climate-related factors influencing the caribou are snow and insects. Many of the climate models indicate that increase in levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could cause a 30 to 50 increase in Arctic snowfall (E.Russel 1993). The Reindeer that has to dig through snow to find moss and lichen, a process called "cratering" would then find it difficult to find its prey. When there is just a patchy snow, it takes only a few minutes to locate enough food for the day. In contrast to this the processes of cratering tend to take 2 hours per day where snow is thick and deep with layers of frozen rain. The energy required per cratering stroke ranges from 118 joules in light snow to 219 joules in thicker snow with layers of frozen rain (Fancy and White 1985). Thick snow make reindeer more vulnerable to wolf attack as wolves can travel on snow crusts while caribou that is heavier will sink.(Brotton and Wall 1997) On the other hand, the consequences of the rise in winter temperature has lessened the lichen’s strength making the reindeers starve and this leaves the herders of reindeer to feed them hay as a substitute food. It also makes it expensive for the herders when they have to rely on hay for their reindeers instead of the commonly occurring lichen. Due to this evident food shortage the caribou and reindeer populations are expected to decline. The fact that the tundra vegetation growth is moving northward due to the change in climate, is another point supporting the fact that reindeers are going to have a difficult time finding food and raising their calves(ACIA 2004). Even when the winter temperatures drop, the snow fall occurs on the lichen frozen with rain water layers, unlike, years ago the snow fall used to occur on the dry lands. The snow depths also directly influence the food intake because the reindeer has to dig through the snow to reach the greens underneath. As snow depth increases, digging becomes difficult consuming more time making it a difficult feeding process for the reindeer and its herders. Also according to the observation of reindeer ecologists it is found that there is wet ice in lichen that becomes difficult for the reindeers to digest. Due to this the herders are forced to lead a more nomadic life of moving their animals in search of drier lands. However the drier lands too are turning out to be a rarity. Another imperative point to note is that, like how the general growth of industries has affected the overall ecosystem in the world reducing the natural habitat for animals due to loss of vegetation, this growth has also not spared the reindeer and its community. The industries have eaten up the grazing lands of reindeer and as a result have made it a difficult environment for its community to survive. This has been one of the primary complaints from the herders of reindeers. Due to a phenomenon called Arctic amplification, the Arctic region is witnessed to get warm much faster than other places in the Northern Hemisphere. There are proven results of scientific studies suggests that there has been a drastic effect on animals in the Arctic due to a one-degree Celsius warming over the past 150 years. The results also portray that the summer temperatures have been approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than they should have been by the year 2000 (BBC Earth News 2009). During the summer, insect harassment is another factor that affects Caibou grazing (Pollard 1996). Mosquitoes and parasitic flies tend to be extremely troublesome for reindeer. This factor of insect harassment is attributed to temperatures of over 10 degrees Celsius and this has led to prevention of foraging and has increased energy requirements (Walsh, Steven, Thomas, Pank 1992). These insects cause reindeer to eat lesser than their capacity because they spend significant time and energy on running to evade these parasites. Due to this raising temperature in summer seasons there is more insect harassment that eventually cause remarkable decline in body fat. The calves in particular suffer comparatively more from insects. An increase in the mosquitoes’ and parasitic flies’ population is bound to affect their living condition and chances of surviving the winter. As a result of this the reindeer population shall continue to suffer (Gunn and Skogland 1997). Reindeer being a herbivore are dependent on nutritious plants that they can digest. Climate change can thus causes adverse effects in the composition of plant communities. Since reindeers are observed to be relatively flexible in their adaptation by adjusting to the available type of food, they have not been nearing extinction yet. However though it is quite early to say that if the trend continues they would not survive anymore, it is better to keep a watch on them and put a check on the climate change to save these animals. Viewing the other aspects of the reindeer community, the animal generally implies to the representation of the festive mood of Christmas and the fulfillment of childhood dreams. However going even deeper into the culture of the tundra region, the reindeers play an important role in the traditions and cultures of the indigenous group of people in Arctic. These indigenous groups basically rely upon these animals for survival as the place is too hostile for agriculture due to extreme cold temperatures and scantily populated for industry. As a matter of fact, reindeer hunting was the primary reason underlying the survival of people in the Arctic after the last ice age and this was the base for increase in Arctic populations. Reindeers were also believed to be the first herd animals raised by the mankind. Today, reindeer not only forms a vital part of the Arctic food base, but they play even a more important role in the culture of these indigenous groups, mythologies and festivals. Thus reindeer is celebrated as a spiritual symbol by these indigenous groups. As a result the change or effects of climate change on reindeer populations spreads shocking waves to these groups as their sustainability becomes uncertain with the decrease in reindeer population. There are also a lot of other factors that threaten the existence of reindeer. In the summer, the more commonly occurring hoof disease has increased reindeer death. Severe blizzards which are a consequence of the increased climate changes also promote the death of the reindeer specie. At the same time, warmer summers and autumns mean higher death rates, particularly for the young reindeer calves. Since reindeer have very few sweat glands and posses a thick insulation layer, the trend of rise in temperatures are harmful to these Arctic animals. Climate change that is anticipated to bring about more variability in the weather patterns therefore poses a huge threat to the reindeer population. In addition to this, the reindeer species are migratory animals whose herds generally migrate between their birthing habitat and their winter habitat. Therefore the climate change patterns tend to alter their habitat’s location, disrupting reindeers’ from finding their right path to breeding grounds. Moreover the drastic weather changes tend to increase the energy spends by the migrating reindeer, therefore decreasing their strength. At the same time, the other players of the Arctic ecosystem react to the dynamism of the climate change giving rise to new competitors for the reindeer and their food supply making their survival difficult. This in turn affects the hunters’ access to reindeers. Thus to summarize the above mentioned arguments on how climate change is playing fatal to the reindeer population in the arctic, it could be grouped into 4 major points. 1. Extent of climate change in the Arctic Tundra Some of the proven scientific records display results that there has been an average temperature increase of around one degree Celsius in the Arctic over the past 150 years. These rates of change of climate in indeed fatal as arctic animals have been observed to be finding it difficult to adapt to the drastic change in climate. Animals that have inhabited the North Pole have adapted for surviving in the coldest of climates. So the sudden rise in temperature as a result of global warming is indeed shocking for them to cope up. The community too would not appreciate the change as the whole tribe of people who depend on the reindeer for survival is bound to suffer. Consequences of global warming include less sea ice, spring approaching much earlier than the usual time and snow thawing just to refreeze the ice and frozen layers of rainwater put together send across negative energy for the reindeer and its community. If this trend continues and amplifies even to a few degree rise in the next century the Arctic region will be a history in the world maps. 2. Energy loss in searching for the best migration route, breeding and calving areas The reindeers migrate to their calving areas at a predetermined season. Their habitat during the winters and the birthing season differ. The rise in temperatures alter the arrival time of the seasons making it difficult for them to adjust with the changing times and therefore there is a fear in the reindeer community that the calves born at the usual breeding season may not be as healthy as it once used to be, as the seasons have been globally altered due to the global warming. As temperatures rise, more energy is lost by the reindeer in migrating to an appropriate breeding ground as the climate change disrupts the reindeers’ ability to get to the correct migration route. The best time for feeding on the plants which is the spring season has been arriving much earlier than it used to be before the global warming showed its effects in this region. However the reindeer still presume that the spring is still far from arrival and this tendency of sticking to the original time table puts them at a loss from access to fresh vegetation. Thus this is bound to affect the health of reindeer and the calves. 3. Insect induced discomfort As the summer temperatures rise, the environment becomes a lot conducive for insect breeding increasing their strength. As a result of this, the reindeers get harassed by the insect bites and the animals lose much of its energy in pushing away these insects to avoid insect bites. This in turn increases their grazing time, reducing the efficient use of available vegetation for grazing on. Some parasitic insects also cause diseases in reindeers posing a threat to their health and life. 4. Rise in Winter Temperatures hindering the reindeers’ access to lichen Though slight warmth in the hostile cold environment during the winter can be considered cozy for the reindeer and its community, the frozen rain upsets the reindeer as the accessibility to food becomes difficult. Snow is much welcomed by them as they have learnt to dig through it to find their lichen whereas frozen rain water that appears in layers takes a lot of their energy in digging to reach to their food. The fittest of the reindeer that bears a lot of energy to expend comes out successful in finding its food while the relatively timid ones suffer from starvation due to their inability to dig and penetrate through the frozen rainwater to get access to their food. Therefore the survival of the fittest is turning out to be the fate for the reindeers’ healthy living and survival. The future of the reindeer population and its community is thus neither too safe nor too endangering. However it can be affirmed that global warming will change reindeers’ general access to prey and their predetermined pattern of migration and breeding. These changes are bound to cause an adverse effect on the condition, fertility and mortality rates of reindeer. However the severity of the trend observed so far is still uncertain. Though research studies would be able to justify the stability of the reindeer population now, the dynamics of climate affecting the weather patterns is bound to affect the reindeer and its community in the long run. Though communities generally adapt to the changing times, drastic effects of climate change and global warming does pose a serious threat to the tribe that rely on these species and obviously to the specie as a whole. Therefore the state of temperature rise, heavy rain fall, frozen layers of ice and not sufficient food for reindeer needs to be put on high alert to save the ecosystem balance. Works Cited Colman, Jonathan. "Global warming: growing threat to reindeer.” Cosmos Magazine. 24 December 2009. 6 April 2011. E.Russel, Don. “Effects of global warming on the biology and management of the Porcupine caribou herd." Impacts of Climate Change on Resource Management in the North, Dept. of Geography, Occasional Paper No. 16, University of Waterloo: 1993. Fancy, Steve.G. White, Rober.G. “Energy expenditures by caribou while cratering in snow.” Journal of Wildlife Management: 1985. Brotton, Janet. Wall, Geoffrey. “Climate change and the Bathurst Caribou Herd in the Northwest Territories, Canada”. Climatic Change, 1997. 35-52. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). “Impacts of a Warming Arctic”. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 2004. 144. Scientific American. “September 2009 Survey and Reindeer”. BBC Earth News: June 2009 Pollard, Robert H. Ballard, Warren B. Noel, Lynn E. Cronin, Matthew A. “Parasitic insect abundance and microclimate of gravel pads and tundra within the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, Alaska, in relation to use by caribou, Rangifer tarandus granti." Canadian Field-Naturalist: 1996. 110(4):649-658. Noreen E. Walsh, Steven G. Fancy, Thomas R. McCabe and Larry F. Pank. “Habitat use by the Porcupine caribou herd during predicted insect harassment." Journal of Wildlife Management: 1992. 56(3):465-473. Gunn, Anne. Skogland, Terje. "Responses of caribou and reindeer to global warming." Global Change and Arctic Terrestial Ecosystems, Springer-Verlag, New York: 1997. 191 Factsheet Series WWF. “Effects of Climate Change on Reindeer.” WWF International Arctic Programme. Read More