Impact of Climate Change on our Water Systems

"IF ALL THE ICE CAPS MELT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WOULD BE UP TO HER NECK IN WATER!"

The movement of water through the land, atmosphere, and ocean is known as the GLOBAL WATER CYCLE. The water cycle is intimately tied to the climate of the planet and influences our water resources through changes in evaporation and precipitation.

Climate change is one of the most significant global environmental issues facing the world today as human activities have increasingly impacted our global climate. Our technological society consumes large amounts of energy. Historically we have used carbon-rich-fuels such as wood, coal, oil & natural gas to supply our energy needs. The by-product of these fuels is carbon dioxide gas which has increasingly been discharged into our atmosphere.
Since the Industrial Age in the mid-nineteenth century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has increased by an estimated 25%- and this number is rising rapidly.

Carbon dioxide molecules act similarly to the greenhouse's glass. They trap heat in the atmosphere. This is called the "Green House Effect". It causes the atmosphere to stay warmer. The warmer the atmosphere gets, the faster the remaining ice sheets will melt. Significant decreases in the ice caps causes further changes in global weather patterns.

The earth's surface is a dynamic system of which humans are a part. Knowledge about changes to the earth's surface and processes has a huge impact on how we respond to change. Your task is to examine the impact of these changes in climate to our global water system and make recommendations for addressing this issue.

Resources

School Solutions to Climate Change (includes a contest that you can enter to win rollerblades and other outdoor equipment)

The global water cycle and weather

Global water cycle on line library (journals power point presentations)

Student and teacher site links on climate change and water

Site for kids and the water cycle & the water droplet game

The role of the ocean (NASA Site and research project)

Climate change

Forestry, glaciers, global warming

Global warming (power point presentations and interactive introductions to the basics of global warming)

General Resources on Water