Viking Weather and Melt Zone Free Essay Example, 750 words

ï » ¿GREENLAND-GLACIERS-MELTDOWN A review of the articles written by Tom Folgers â€Å"Viking Weather†( pages 52 to 67) [and the â€Å"Melt Zone† by Mark Jenkins, ,(pages 40 to 43,), both June 2010 issue and The Big Melt by Brook Larmer, (pages 66 to 79) April 2010 issue, ] in the National Geographic Magazine. { Customer Please Check words wanted} [also on the National Geographic site ] The Summary The ice blanket covering Greenland is melting fast as the land strangely warms twice as fast as most of the world. Holding nearly seven percent of the world’s fresh water its frozen water cover is shrinking by about 50 cubic miles each year in a vicious cycle of ice melting and global warming. Atmospheric pollution which increases the soot content of ‘Cryoconite’ the mineral dust sediment, getting deposited on the ice sheet like a black curtain by world air circulation is increasing the solar heat absorption. As a consequence of this increased melting the sea level is projected to increase by 24 feet which will inundate coastlines around the world and endanger the water reservoirs of the world and leading to prospect of â€Å"water wars† especially in Asia e. g.We will write a custom essay sample on Viking Weather and Melt Zone or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now between China and India etc. Though this would mean a global catastrophe as entire coastal nations are submerged, the ice veil lifts to reveal a host of treasures in the form of oil [worth more than four trillion dollars? ], rare earth metals, and more of the greener pastures for the Greenlanders whose government revenues are supported to the extent of 60% or $ 620 million by their Danish colonizers. Greenland’s population, which depends heavily on fishing, descendants mostly of the Inuit from Canada and the Danish, living, according to the CIA fact book â€Å"on a narrow icecap covering all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast† [CIA Fact book]. The land was first settled by the Vikings under the famous Erik the Red who, after four centuries were inexplicably wiped out, a scenario that can very well rise again in the future for the present settlers of the land also unless given serious attention. Research Methodology The auth ors had direct interviews with the people as well as the investigating scientists and even travelling with them on their hazardous missions to inspect their data collection methods. This has resulted also in several graphic photos of spectacular beauty, available for public view in the connected Photo Gallery. [Photo Gallery] Critical Evaluation of the Source’s Usefulness: This article is a primer intended for the average reader initiating him in to the mysteries of climate change. The reaction of the local people to these earth shaking events and the effect on their daily life is dealt with very colorfully. The photo of ‘a pothole burned into the ice by Cryoconite, buried air and gas from bacteria and algae bubbled to the surface, where a midnight freeze trapped them’ makes fine eye candy at the same time, graphically illustrating the effect of Cryoconite on the ice. Most of the other photos do the same. The article is high in ‘local color’ but the presentation of the scientific aspects could have been improved. However it highlights how the everyday life of a people can be changed by a phenomenon till now considered a scientific curiosity. The researchers could have used the extensive data and far more explicit maps clearly describing the situation from agencies such a s The Snow and Ice Data Center, NASA etc easily available from the web. A more thorough academic understanding of the problem is available through internet sources, but this deficiency is to be expected in an article intended for general reading. Tone: The writer calls attention to the anomalous ground realities of the exotic and quaint place very dramatically in the first paragraph itself by presenting the improbable mix of plants, attracting the attention. The article highlights the effect of the changing weather in the life of the people and its high disturbance potential especially in the local environment calling world attention to take climate change issues very seriously using the magazine’s wide world wide circulation. Limitations and Strengths of the Article/Evidence. An article intended for general reading may not be naturally expected to be scientifically proficient enough to provide a comprehensive understanding of a professional discipline and therein lies its main defects. Some more scientific inputs, like from the NASA, The National Snow and Ice Data Center etc could have been added training the public to think more logically. For example, consider the fine point of distinction about the Greenland ice cap melt. Only the ice cap melts over landmasses like Greenland and Antarctica can contribute significantly to sea level rise [The Seattle Times]. Another exceptional point, also the fantastic rate of reduction of the Arctic ice cap by nearly half in the past ten years is not mentioned. [The Seattle Times ]. The counter arguments of the theories are also not presented. The scientific aspect could have been given more emphasis to provide a better academic understanding. Works Cited CIA fact book Greenland. CIA-The World Fact Book. The CIA. Web. n.d. 13 Nov 2010. URL: https: //www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gl. html National Geographic site Changing Greenland. Viking Weather. The National Geographic Magazine. /2010/06.Web. 13 Nov 2010 URL: ngm. nationalgeographic. com/2010/06/Viking-weather/folger-text, URL: ngm. nationalgeographic. com/. ../melt- zone/greenland-animation - Photo Gallery Changing Greenland - Melt Zone Photo Gallery - National Geographic. com. 06/2010.Web. 13 Nov2010 URL: ngm. nationalgeographic. com/2010/06/melt-zone/balog-photography The Seattle Times Arctic ice caps to melt faster than feared, scientists say. The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. 7/9/2007 . Web. 13 Nov2010 URL: http: //seattletimes. nwsource. com/html/localnews/2003873003_arcticice07m. html