Ice Cap Melting

Kellany Moore
February 26, 2011
Rough Draft/Concept Paper

Without debating on whether the polar ice is melting regardless of global warming or not, the warming conditions in Alaska has forced a female polar bear to swim for nine days straight, swimming approximately seven hundred kilometers and an additionally walked one thousand eight hundred on ice for a period of two months (5). The polar bear had a year old cub with her that did not survive and died with lack of food. The female polar bear also lost almost one hundred pounds during this voyage. Researchers found this information by using a GPS collar that the University of Wyoming and U.S. Fish and Wild services, had attached to her (5). The researchers found that the Arctic ice caps are melting more and more with each summer, making it harder for polar bears to survive on ice.
Many scientists are wondering exactly how the arctic ice caps are melting and why. Many are accusing global warming as the reason. Global warming is the increase of earth’s average surface temperature because of the greenhouse effect, or better known as the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are defined as a hydrocarbon deposits such as, petroleum, coal, or natural gases that is commenced from the remains of ancient plants and animals and is used for fuel.    
The greenhouse effect is when the sun’s radiation travels from space to our planet of Earth. When these rays hit Earth’s surface, the rays are then reflected back to the sun. The greenhouse effect is mainly consisted of carbon dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4). Even though the rays were let in, the Earth has an atmosphere surrounded by water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2) and, other greenhouse gases. The main thing about the greenhouse effect is that there is a precise amount and balance of energy that comes in from the sun, compared to the amount of energy that is reflected back to space (2).   These rays help stabilize our Earth but,... [continues]

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