In this huge world of ours, how can one small change effect an entire ecosystem?
Today, our temperatures are rising, and it is beginning to become noticeable in the far north. Winters are becoming shorter in areas like north Alaska and Canada, and the ground is staying unfrozen for longer. Now, wouldn’t this be good for the animals who call this land home, like the caribou for instance?
Well it is true that the plants are around for longer, which provides more food, but at the same time, this longer summer brings several problems. The first of these would be the increased insect population. These insects can be so intense that they will force caribou off their grazing lands during their migrations. This can lead to hunger amoung the caribou, and eventual starvation. In addition to this problem, the issue of severe storms soon becomes a problem as well. With warmer weather, the far north has actually been experiencing rain during the winter months, which causes a layer of ice to form on top of the snow. This ice is extremly sharp, and will often cut the caribou and slow them down. It also creates a barrier of ice between the caribou and their food underneath the snow.
All of these problems have put massive stress on the caribou population, and thus, the human population and all other animal populations that use the caribou as food. And this problem is all due to a few degrees increase in the average temperature of our planet.
