Antarctica is melting and beginning to turn green, the Sahara desert is flooding, and hurricanes are practically taking over the world. The impact of these changes is being felt across the globe. Everyone, from polar bears to people is suffering from these events.
Antarctica
Antarctica is struggling. The ice caps, icebergs, and ice sheets are all melting. These disasters are causing polar bears and other inhabitants to lose their homes. How is this happening? According to NASA, climate change is melting the ice, leaving the continent turning green. This is a huge problem in our world because if more ice melts, the sea level will rise, flooding our world. This can also hurt the population of all the animals there. Without a habitat, where will they go?
Sahara Desert
The Sahara desert flooded for the first time in over 50 years. Rain isn’t rare, but it’s usually very little when it does. According to NASA, satellite data shows 8 inches of rain in the Sahara desert. There are now lakes and trenches forming in the dunes. Because of climate change and fossil fuel pollution, more extreme events could happen in the future because of the water cycle disruption.
Hurricanes
This year, there have already been 9 hurricanes. Beryl, Helene, Kirk, and Milton have been major. If climate change gets worse, the temperature of the ocean will increase. Since hurricanes form from warm waters and cold moisture in the air, if the oceans get hotter, more evaporation will occur. This could lead to even more hurricanes and they could potentially be way worse. Most of our hurricanes usually hit Florida. This is because the waters around Florida are warm. Tropical storms and hurricanes form near Florida and then make their way across the state. If climate change gets worse, Florida won’t be the only place vulnerable to storms.
Earthquakes and Other Disasters
Hurricanes aren’t the only natural disasters going on in our world. Earlier this year, New York and its surroundings got hit by an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude. Signs of the world ending are everywhere. In 2023, many wildfires occurred and it was one of the hottest years recorded. The gasses from the fires are still in our atmosphere and cause some major problems. Hail storms have also been recorded.
Are signs of Earth getting worse and worse because of climate change? Leave a comment! What do you think?
Bibliography:
Paddison, Laura. “The Sahara Desert Flooded for the First Time in Decades. Here’s What It Looks Like.” Accuweather.com, AccuWeather, 15 Oct. 2024, www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/the-sahara-desert-flooded-for-the-first-time-in-decades-heres-what-it-looks-like/1704017#google_vignette. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Rice, Doyle. “Antarctica, the World’s Iciest Continent, Is “Greening” at a Dramatic Rate.” USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2024/10/14/antarctica-greening-study-findings/75672906007/.
Vera, Amir, et al. “Hurricane Milton Inundates Florida with Dangerous Flooding after Landfall.” CNN, 10 Oct. 2024, www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-milton-path-florida-10-10-24/index.html.
