Can Geoengineering Save The World's Ice?
A science Article Analysis Based on the Article
Date of publication: August 26, 2015
Author of article: David Biello
Analysis by: Jessica Vela
Author of article: David Biello
Analysis by: Jessica Vela
Of the many problems that humanity causes to planet earth, one of the main ones is probably global warming. The smog and increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air due to the chemicals released by the man-made machines such as cars have contributed to capture sunlight, warming the planet slowly which in effect has started to melt the polar caps of the planet. The rate of melting glaciers has also been increasing within the past couple of years at a rate faster than any other time through the planet’s history.
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The science article, Can Geoengineering Save the Planet’s Ice? states a huge chunk of ice the size of downtown Manhattan fell off the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland on August 16, 2015. Antarctica and the North Pole have also been going through quick meltdowns that pour fresh water into the salty ocean around the world which is in effect raising sea levels in beaches around the world. The change in global temperature is mainly because of the human race, these changes that the planet is going through are definitely not natural changes, the ecosystems in exchange are suffering. Scientists are starting to think of solutions to prevent more changes, one of them is geoengineering. Scientists are thinking of complex solutions since no action is really taking place to restrain greenhouse gas pollution, some want to change how much sunlight the planet reflects to save glaciers and cool the planet. Geoengineering could be used to make marine clouds whiter or spread a solar shield of aerosols in the stratosphere. The problem with the geoengineering idea to cool the planet and save glaciers is the fact that the idea still needs a lot of modification in order to prevent the results to alter other functions of the planet, such as weather (mainly rain) patterns. Whatever the solutions is, the glaciers need to be saved.
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The article was picked as a way to gain knowledge about the current solutions that scientists are trying to come up with in order to help prevent the further development of global warming. The solution of the article, geoengineering, is a new idea that has never been introduced before, it is very surprising. Animals are being affected by global warming, especially polar bears, who have a smaller area they can expand to and must swim larger distances to get from one place to another, already there have been a couple of polar bears that have drowned due to distance in scenarios like theses. It is an interesting proposed idea, geoengineering is basically the use of the natural environment and manipulating it, in this case the production of more marine clouds (one of the brightest clouds) which can reflect off more sunlight from the planet keeping it cooler. The concept of geoengineering in the article’s title sparked up interest by itself, which for a second seemed to be an idea too advanced for the present-day society, this means that many new scientific ideas are rushing and may be overwhelming for all to happen soon.
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The article is important to the world of today because it demonstrates the scientific ideas that can eventually turn into reality and have a direct relationship to everybody’s lives. If geoengineering would actually take place, glaciers would start growing once again, moving down mountains and some valleys that could affect the populations living near mountainous areas where glaciers grow, their homes could be taken over by the glaciers that spread across the land. People must also consider the effects of geoengineering on various aspects of the planet. If the changes are not precisely controlled, the cooling of the planet could also become a bad situation that could bring another ice age to the planet. As humans, we are part of the nature created in the planet, but our intelligence has also been relatively bad for the planet. People in this modern world should know that whatever new solutions science comes up to help, those changes are bound to bring unnatural changes that in the sense of nature no longer fit in and could be hard for all living things on the planet to get adjusted to. Geoengineering is interesting, though it can save the life of endangered species, engineering the planet’s natural changes could bring horrid consequences as well. Ther world of today needs to be careful with all the science that is advancing too quickly. It brings knowledge and benefits the human race, but there is no turning back after incorrect changes are made and the other living species in the planets are the ones that potentially suffer.
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Work Cited
“Can Geoengineering Save The World's Ice?” Scientific American Global RSS. Web. 26 Sep. 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-geoengineering-save-the-world-s-ice/>
*The sources for the pictures are found by clicking on the pictures, though their information is not part of th4e written analysis.
“Can Geoengineering Save The World's Ice?” Scientific American Global RSS. Web. 26 Sep. 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-geoengineering-save-the-world-s-ice/>
*The sources for the pictures are found by clicking on the pictures, though their information is not part of th4e written analysis.