3 Jun 2022

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Environmental Changes and Climate Warming in Permafrost Areas

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There has been a reduction of the actual volume of glaciers in the recent past, and this has been caused by the persistent global warming. On the other hand, permafrost degradation has been recorded to be a little bit slower at altitudes that are above and below the glaciers. There are very many permafrost landscapes as well as glaciers that have proven to transform within specific a period of years. They tend to transform to newer forms of landscapes that have loose debris, steep slopes, and numerous new lakes as a result of the degrading permafrost. The landscapes that are formed usually stay in place for centuries and millennia. 

The new landscapes usually feature disequilibria within their ecosystems and geo. Research has shown that this involves the reduction of the extended periods of stability of the mountain slopes that are steep in nature in Sweden and other parts of the globe ( Paepe et al., 2001) . This results in higher chances of systematic increase of the possibility of the waves of floods that come from the broad masses of water into the lakes. New lakes are later formed in the neighboring areas and the foot of the slopes. 

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The Concentration of Co 2 and Temperature In Sweden 

The number of greenhouse gas molecules that are available in the atmosphere is what determines the impact of the greenhouse effect. This is what also tends to give a determination of the amount of extra energy that it pushes to the surface of the earth in most cases. A higher percentage of energy emission of the earth that is infrared is brought about by a high concentration of greenhouse gas. It is good to put in mind that a lot of extra energy is usually reemitted to the surface of the earth. The consequence of this is the immediate rise of the average temperature of the surface of the earth. The one and only way in which the earth can cool is through the removal of CO 2 from the atmosphere. The earth cools as a result of the reduction of the quantity of infrared energy that CO 2 tends to absorb. The appearance of plants on the surface of the earth was experienced by human beings 450 million years ago. This is a very long time ago. Research shows that plants that grow on land only survived in very wet areas and environments. It is the evolution of the so-called vascular systems that provided room for the plants to be able to grow and develop in the terrestrial grounds and environments ( Marshak et al., 2015)

The Carbon Cycle 

Research shows that the carbon that is found in the common atmospheric CO 2 is a very small quantity of the whole carbon fraction of the earth. This carbon is equally present in living creatures, the rocks, as well as oceans. In other words, carbon is found everywhere on earth. The carbon has atoms that usually move between the mentioned reservoirs. The movement is known as the carbon cycle ( Marshak et al., 2015) . Researchers have scientifically proved that carbon usually leaves the atmosphere when bacteria, algae, as well as plants, photosynthesize. The process of photosynthesis pulls carbon out, and it is able to automatically combine with air in the form of oxygen as well as water and end up forming carbohydrates. It is a process that does not take a very long period of time. It then comes back to the atmosphere as CO 2 whenever animals and people breathe it out. The CO 2 also comes about during the process of decomposition after the death of plants. Sweden and Scandinavia are victims of this cycle as well. 

There are instances where plants and other photosynthesizers end up being buried deep under the ground, and this happens a lot. Their carbon is not released into the atmosphere as experienced when they are alive during growth and development. They do not rot at all. Their carbon, in this case, gets locked deep into the ground for very many years without being released. This results in the formation of coal, natural gas, as well as oil. In other words, they tend to become fossil fuels if the underground condition is friendly. The underground carbon comes about as a result of the short-term carbon cycle. The process, however, takes millions of years. It then returns back to the atmosphere, and the cycle continues. 

Are Humans Causing Climate Change? 

Records show that one ton of CO 2 has an exact volume of 136,000 gallons. Reliable research shows that human beings around the world emitted around 34.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere in the year 2012. The quantity of carbon dioxide that is emitted by human beings in the atmosphere has risen by up to 37% since the establishment of the industrial revolution. This is precisely about 250 years ago. An increase of the number of carbon dioxide molecules significantly causes tangible effects on the temperature of the earth. A drastic increase has been experienced ever since, and this has particularly been caused by human beings. Humans do not tend to care much about the atmosphere whenever they think of inventing new things with the aim of making the earth a better place. They forget that the atmosphere is more important than anything else in the world ( Mölders et al., 2012) . This is the reason why we see the earth maintaining a temperature of 1.3°F that seems to be warmer than it used to be more than 100 years ago. These are the effects that have been caused by human error over the years. There are higher chances of the temperature rising to 3.2° and later 7° warmer by the year 2100 if humans do not take the initiative. The future sounds pathetic on this one. 

The Collapse of the Ground and Damage to Buildings And Infrastructure 

It is important to note that various buildings in Sweden and Scandinavia are prone to different natural phenomena that include natural hazards such as earthquakes, windstorms, as well as floods. The pattern of climate around the globe keeps changing every day. This is precisely what results to the changes how the hydrometeorological phenomena behaves after a certain period of time. The severity as well as frequency of storms, floods and many otherrisks that are related to weather and climate keep increasing. 

Increased Erosion 

Erosion involves the movement and displacement of the particles of soil by means of natural forces such as wind as well as water. It can also be defined as the detachment of geologic materials, rocks, and soil materials by ice (in terms of glaciers), water, and wind. There is a constant reshaping of the surface of the earth that is caused by various forms and forces of erosion. There is a continuous alteration of landmasses where tides and waves erode old lands. Glaciers have proven to be essential means of soil erosion over the years. Glacier is the slowest means of erosion. The slow movement of glacier eventually dismantles and dislocates material from the surface that it uses to move and travel. The processes that are involved here include abrasion, fracturing, crushing, as well and plucking. Wind also causes erosion by sweeping and carrying grain sediments via the air. The sediments are carried from croplands that have no vegetation, from beaches, and also from construction areas among other locations on the surface of the earth. We cannot end the discussion of erosion without discussing water. Flowing water is a primary cause of erosion along rivers. Flowing water carries away soil alongside other materials on the surface of the earth. There are four forms of the famous soil erosion. The types include gully erosion, sheet erosion, tunnel erosion, and rill erosion. Erosion is also experienced at beaches that are sandy. This kind of erosion is caused by waves and currents that come from the seas and lakes. Governments and citizens of Scandinavia and Sweden should plant vegetation along riverbanks and lakes in order for them to control water erosion that is greatly sweeping away fertile soils along rivers and lakes in the two countries ( Osawa et al., 2009)

Effects of Vegetation and Solar Radiation in Sweden and Scandinavia 

Hill slopes that are south-facing in nature tend to receive the energy of the solar compared to other slopes. These slopes are warmer because they do not tend to have permafrost in the discontinuous zone. The continuous area, on the other hand, is thinner. Vegetation that is planted and that which grows in the permafrost areas play an essential role in protecting the ground that is frozen from direct rays of solar energy ( Osawa et al., 2009) . There is vegetation that is planted or grown on the surface of the earth (artificially) by humans while other vegetation grows naturally by itself. The vegetation holds the soil together and insulates the soil from direct solar radiation and keeps its nutrients fertile and intact because erosion does not occur here. 

Conclusion 

We need to admit that a lot of damage has been caused already, and we need to stop assuming that everything is fine and do something about it. We have experienced efforts from geographers and scientists from various other disciplines who are working day and night to try and come up with solutions that can curb the countless risks that are associated with climate change. Excess carbon dioxide stagnates in the atmosphere for a very long period of time once it is emitted there. Humans need to avoid emitting carbon dioxide because it will stay up there for centuries and will end up affecting the future generations. Governments of Sweden and Scandinavia as well as other countries around the globe should impose strict penalty to people who burn fossil fuels in the society today. This will play a role in assisting to stop such people from indulging in such activities and will in turn save the atmosphere and the environment for generations to come. With this act in place, there is a likelihood that the climate of the earth will come back to its normal state although this may take thousands of years. 

References 

Marshak, 2015,  Earth Portrait of a Planet 5e International Student Edition+Essentials of Geology 4e. Geotours Workbook . [Place of publication not identified], Wiley Australia. 

Mölders, N, 2012,  Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes [recurso electrónico] Impact on Climate and Air Quality . Paises Bajos, Springer Netherlands. 

Osawa, A, 2009,  Permafrost Ecosystems: Siberian Larch Forests . Berlin, Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9693-8. 

Paepe, R, 2001,  Permafrost Response on Economic Development, Environmental Security and Natural Resources: [proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Novosibirsk, Russia, 12-16 november 1998] . Dordrecht [u.a.], Kluwer. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Environmental Changes and Climate Warming in Permafrost Areas.
https://studybounty.com/environmental-changes-and-climate-warming-in-permafrost-areas-essay

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