Grizzlies, polar bears breeding because of climate change (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted
Updated
..."There's a lot of evidence now that with the climate changing, a lot of species will have range shifts which are changing in accordance with this," he said.
"We're seeing more and more evidence that different species are being forced together and are genetically quite similar and therefore it's not surprising that there's some inbreeding because of this."
The Anaktuvuk River Fire burns across the tundra Sept. 10, 2007.
Local Time: 8:16 AM AKST (GMT -09)
Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W
Temperature :: 34 F
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 100%
Dew Point :: 34 F
Wind :: 8 mph from the NNW
Pressure :: 29.06 inches (Rising)
Visibility :: 0.8 miles
UV: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 200 ft.
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation :: 33 ft.
11 Jan 2010: Report
Arctic Tundra is Being Lost as Far North Quickly Warms (click here)
The treeless ecosystem of mosses, lichens, and berry plants is giving way to shrub land and boreal forest. As scientists study the transformation, they are discovering that major warming-related events, including fires and the collapse of slopes due to melting permafrost, are leading to the loss of tundra in the Arctic.
During the summer of 2007, lightning strikes sparked five tundra fires on Alaska’s North Slope. Two of the fires — rare events north of the Arctic Circle — began in neighboring drainages, only a couple of days apart. That, in itself, might have gained the attention of tundra researchers. But the 2007 fire season would ultimately burn a record swath across the North Slope, while reshaping the way scientists think about the Arctic’s response to global warming.
Researchers have known for years that the Arctic landscape is being transformed by rising temperatures. Now, scientists are amassing growing evidence that major events precipitated by warming — such as fires and the collapse of slopes caused by melting permafrost — are leading to the loss of tundra in the Arctic. The cold, dry, and treeless ecosystem — characterized by an extremely short growing season; underlying layers of frozen soil, or permafrost; and grasses, sedges, mosses, lichens, and berry plants — will eventually be replaced by shrub lands and even boreal forest, scientists forecast....
