Glaciers

The Cascade effect causes glaciers within the ocean to melt, which results in increased ocean levels, flooding, problems in maintaining the movement of the ocean conveyer belt, and decreased land mass. The light, white color of a glacier causes it to reflect sunlight, rather than to absorb it. This is called the Albedo effect. The dark color of the water surrounding the glacier causes the ocean to absorb the light, in turn, increasing the temperature of the water. As the ocean surrounding the glacier becomes warmer, the glacier begins to melt, exposing more of the dark colored water. The glacier then becomes more transparent and darker in color and the ocean underneath becomes more visible through the thinned-out glacier. As more water is exposed and the glacier becomes less dense, more sunlight is absorbed, causing the glacier to melt at a faster rate. Scientists believe that more and more of the sun's rays remain within the atmosphere as a result of global warming. These rays result in an increased amount of melting glaciers. The Cascade effect causes problems in maintaining the cyclical movement of the ocean conveyer belt, which directly affects the Earth's climate and ocean currents. Also, ocean levels are rising, which causes flooding and a decrease in land mass. An increase in greenhouse gases, emitted by industries, transportation, and other pollutants, is a direct cause of the Cascade effect. by Conor Loughman, Genevieve Spitz, Esther Reynolds, Rachel Precious, and Austin Steele

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YouTube | March 21, 2008

Tags:. .cyclical. .genevieve. .spitz. .conor. .gases