Wednesday, January 20, 2016

 Global Warming Along the Gulf of Maine
This graph shows how the temperature in The Gulf of Maine has been increasing over the last 33 years due to global warming.


Have you ever thought about everything that is being affected by global warming? Have you ever wondered about the effect it is having on all nearby industries? Well, Maine is one of the largest affected, and quickest places warming in the world, due to global warming. Over the last 35 years. Since 2004 the Yarmouth sand bar has been warming faster than any other place on the planet. In 2012 the water temperature has been the highest average for over 150 yearrs, it hasn't ever been this warm since humans started recording it. For two years the shrimp industry has been down due to the warming temperatures that are making a shortage of shrimp.


Back in the late 1900’s, global warming has been starting to take place. It has been melting the icebergs in the North Pole have been melting. Polar bears have been losing their natural habitat. From all of this melting, it is making the water levels higher. And the whole world is being affected by it. The gulf of maine, is becoming one of the most highly affected places of global warming since 2004. The water temperatures have been rising higher than any other place in the world. If there weren't two very cold recent winters, there would be a very small chance of many native species still in survival. Not to mention, the depth of the water.


This has put an effect on all of the native water species. It has been attracting invasives. Once they come over on bats, or cargo. Now that the waters are warmer, invasive species can live and have a higher chance of survival. In 2012- 2013 the green crab population erupted all along the gulf of maine. They wiped out the entire soft shell clam population. Blue crabs have been appearing in lobster traps along the Chesapeake bay. Now, Asian shore crabs have been dominating the shores along the coast of New Hampshire. All of these invasives have been able to survive, due to the global warming.


The Gulf of Maine is also one of the very few places in the world that are fitting and able to sustain marine life. The Gulf has many great features such as:  geography, oceanography, climate, and geology. On a standard map, the Gulf looks like a little more than a section of the atlantic ocean. But on an ocean chart, the true identity is unfolded. Hidden under the waves, at the southern entrance to the gulf are to monstrous islands that have submerged into the gulf. The islands separate the gulf from the rest of the ocean. This has changed and shaped the oceans currents. It is like a semi enclosed sea, it has a mind and current of it’s own.There are only two deep water channels that connect the gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. The larger channel is twenty two miles wide. The channels usually flow cold water through that keeps the gulf with some cold water from the outside, to keep the water temperature from becoming too warm.


Because the Gulf was known for the frosty temperatures, due to the water being put into the gulf is coming from the arctic. Species like cod: salmon, herring, mackerel, lobster, and  a type of zooplankton called Calanus finmarchicus. None of these species could live anywhere south of Cape Cod. The climate further away is too warm for them to survive. The cold climate keeps away other species like jellyfish and Green crabs. Now that the gulf is warming, they are able to thrive in the gulf.


Works Cited

“Mayday.” Portland Press Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. <http://www.pressherald.com/2015/10/25/mayday-gulf-maine-distress-six-part-series-from-colin-woodard/>.

5 comments:

  1. Great Post Brooke! I really like all the information you put into this, and how knowledgeable you are about this subject. I have always felt like this is a very serious subject and you captured this important problem. I like how you also tied in native animals and how they are being badly effected by this. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Brooke! This is a really interesting post. I learned a lot about global warming. For instance, I didn't know that Maine was so affected by global warming. I also didn't know that global warming started in the 1900s. I thought it was more recent. I like that you added a chart, because that helped me visualize the effects global warming has had along the Gulf of Maine. Al in all, this had a lot of information! Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing Project Brooke! I learned a lot about the things that are currently being affected by global warming like salmon and cod. I also thought the chart helped prove your point to show the problem with global warming.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is really alarming, how fast the world is heating up. I can't believe that nothing is being done about it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! A very thought-provoking project. I really learned a lot from this, and it was very exciting to read! I didn't know how much global warming affected different species like oplar bears, shrimp, and green crabs. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.