We have selected 100 unique places on Earth that are projected to
undergo profound changes within the next few generations.
We based our selection of the 100 places on the 4th Assessment
Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Simply by drawing attention to the beauty of these places, 100 Places to
Remember Before they Disappear creates an argument to preserve
them.
The 100 Places we have chosen to highlight, and the people who
live in them, are in serious danger because of rising sea levels, rising
temperatures and extreme weather events triggered by climate change.
Among ambassadors are Joss Stone, Desmond Tutu for more info visit http://www.100places.com
The Bering Sea · Russia and the United States
A Sea that Feeds Walruses, Polar Bears and Two Superpowers
In 1725, the Danish navigator Vitus Bering led an expedition to Eastern Russia on behalf of the Russian czar, Peter the Great, who wanted to know whether Siberia and North America were connected by land. It took him three years to reach what is today known as the Bering Strait. The great sea stretching south of the narrow strait and covering more than two million square kilometres all the way to the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands, was also named after the great explorer.
The Bering Sea is unusually prolific. It provides almost half of the seafood caught in the USA, valued at around $1 billion p.a., and the Russian catch is worth $600 million. It is also home to sea lions, walrus, polar bears and endangered whales such as the blue whale, sperm whale, bowhead whale, humpback whale, killer whale and, the rarest of them all, the North Pacific Right Whale. More than 30 species of seabird breed in the region, including the Spectacled Eider and the endangered Short-tailed Albatross.
The cornerstone of the seas rich biodiversity is the diatom, a large phytoplankton that grows on the underside of the ice. The northern part of the Bering Sea is typically covered in ice for seven months of the year. When the ice melts, the diatoms float to the bottom, creating a rich food layer for sea-floor populations, which then support birds and marine mammals. The walrus plays an essential part in the ecosystem as well; by rooting for food with its whiskered muzzle, its stirs up the seabed and circulates vital nutrients.
With the warming of the oceans, there is little doubt that the biodiversity of the Bering Sea will change. There is already less ice than just a few decades ago, and it melts earlier every year, reducing the size and abundance of the diatoms. As the cold waters grow warmer, the fish and crabs move northwards, eating into food supplies that until now have been reserved for ice-dependent species. This means new mouths to feed and less food for the sea lions, walrus and whales. By the end of the 21st century, all the ice in the Bering Sea may be gone.
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Well, If it's gone, it's gone. Nothing anyone can do about it. The Earth warms, the Earth cools. Been doing that for about 4 billion years. So, of course there is climate change, however to think it's anthropogenic is ridiculous.
DeutscheGesinnung 1 year ago