REGIONAL SLIDES
POLAR REGION• Arctic Sea Ice• Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland• Hubbard Glacier, United
States• Prudhoe Bay, United States• Kolka Glacier, Russia• Filchner Ice Shelf,
Antarctica• Ninnis Glacier, Antarctica• Drygalski Ice Tongue,
Antarctica• Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania• Antarctic Ozone Hole
POLAR REGION
ARCTIC
• The core of the Arctic, in the north, is the Arctic Ocean.
• The Arctic Ocean has many thousands of big and small islands and the lands surrounding the Arctic Ocean supports a great variety of plants.
ANTARCTIC
• The Antarctic, in the south, is an isolated continent surrounding the South Pole. Most of Antarctica's land lies beneath ice and snow almost two km thick.
• It has high mountains and glaciers.
Dramatic changes in Arctic Sea Ice
Imagine an ice-free Arctic
Shrinking Breidamerkurjökull Glacier Iceland
• 1973-2000: Images show glacier has receded and the glacial lake at its tip has enlarged
North America: Angangueo
• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area
• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded
Ice dam in the Hubbard Glacier United States
• 1985 –Hubbard Glacier
• 1986 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord
• 2002 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord again
•2003 – Glacier has retreated
North America: Angangueo
• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area
• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded
Hubbard Glacier advances United States
14 Aug 2002
10 Aug 2002
Sprawl of oil fields in Prudhoe BayUnited States
• 1974-1999: After the discovery of oil fields in 1968, the Bay has undergone dramatic changes
Collapse of Kolka Glacier Russia
Around Mt. Kazbek, a dormant volcano glaciers intermittently collapse, burying the landscape below
20 September 2002: Kolka shattered, setting off a massive avalanche of ice, snow and rocks
This before and after image shows the vast extent of disaster following the collapse
Extent of disaster in Kolka GlacierRussia
Breaking Off Filchner Ice Shelf Antarctica
Filchner Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the planet
In 1986 the front edge of Ice Shelf broke off into three enormous icebergs
Calving of Ninnis GlacierAntarctica
22 January 2000: The Ninnis Glacier Tongue soon after the initial calving
5 February 2002: Iceberg split into two sections and started moving away from Ninnis Glacier
Cracks on Drygalski Ice Tongue Antarctica
The ice tongue was discovered in 1902
21 February 2005: Drygalski calved an iceberg
Image shows cracks formed by time and ocean currents
Disappearing Icecap of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Africa’s highest mountain with a forest belt having rich diversity of ecosystems
• 1976: Glaciers covered most of the summit
• 2000: The glaciers had receded alarmingly
Growth of the Antarctic Ozone Hole
Darkest blue areas represent regions of maximum ozone depletion
1979
19821984
1986
1988 1990
19921994
1997
1999
2004
• Earth's atmosphere appears to be recovering from losses of "good" ozone in the upper reaches of the atmosphere
“Good” Ozone vs. “Bad” Ozone
• “Bad” ozone is believed to be the associated with smog and poor air quality
• Scientist observed positive changes in the ozone layer
One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment
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POLAR REGION