Polar bears are already feeling the effects of global warming.
Global warming has its effects on the quality of water, food supply and wildlife populations. Animals throughout the world are already impacted by melting ice and warming water. Anomalies such as increased snowfall in specific areas are changing the hunting strategies of many animals, affecting the entire ecosystem.
Fish Reduction
According to researchers from Colorado State University, the effects of global warming on fish and aquatic plants can be devastating. Disappearing wetlands and a decrease in water quality is forecast. "Projected increases in the earth's surface temperature due to global warming are expected to significantly disrupt current patterns of aquatic plant and animal distribution and to alter fundamental ecosystem processes, resulting in major ecological changes," said freshwater biologist N. LeRoy Poff of CSU. Trout and salmon are expected to suffer the most because they rely on cold water for survival.
Fish Expansion
Fish living in warm water will likely increase in numbers. These fish include large-mouth bass and carp, which are both popular throughout the United States. CSU researchers stated a 4-degree Fahrenheit rise in water temperature could allow these fish to extend north for 400 miles. The university also stated that more plants and algae will grow. However, according to Mbgnet.net, increased vegetation could kill fish: Once the plants die, decomposers multiply and consume much of the oxygen that fish rely on.
Polar Bears
In 1999 researchers found polar bear cub numbers around Hudson Bay, Canada, had plummeted by 10 percent from the previous 20 years, and the weight of adult polar bears had dropped by the same number in that time, according to Defenders of Wildlife. The decreases are attributed to the dwindling number of ringed seals. These numbers are falling because seals rely on ice for their habitat, much of which is now melted from global warming. The polar bears have adapted to fasting on the shores during the period of no ice.
Gray Wolves
The behavior of gray wolves directly affects the well-being of animals around them. In Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, for example, the amount of snow is actually increasing because of global warming, according to Defenders of Wildlife, because higher temperatures cause more evaporation and thus more precipitation. This, in turn, causes the wolves to hunt in larger packs, killing in their path triple the number of moose. A decrease in the moose population led to an increase in the balsam fir trees. In turn, the trees are taking up too much space and endangering other plants.
