Global climate change is changing everything around us really fast and is a growing concern all over the world. The islands of Chesapeake bay are yet another victim of climate change. According to the scientists and environmentalists, the islands of the bay are in trouble bigtime.
The president of the Chesapeake Bay foundation mentions:
We know that the bay is in trouble today, and we know that climate change will make the bay worse in the future
The researchers predict that the bay will get worse day by day as time goes by. The climate change is going to increase the already existing ‘deadzones’ in the island. Besides this, there will be an array of other problems.
What kind of problems are we looking at?
1) The water temperatures in the bay rise beyond 76 degrees in the bay. This is an extremely bad situation for the marine life present in the water body. The temperature is way warmer than the rockfish can tolerate.
2) Over the past 100 years, the bay’s water levels have risen about a foot. Eventually the waterman’s posts on the island could sink.
Global water level has been rising at 1.8 millimeters per year. Statistics show that over the past 60 years, the bay’s water levels increased about 3.3 millimeters per year.
3) Back in 2005, a species of plant known as Eelgrass completely died off in the southern part of the bay. Plants die off when temperatures become too hot for them to tolerate. I think this not only applies to plants but also other animal species as well.
Besides these effects on flora and fauna of the Bay islands, some researchers also think that there will be an increase in severe hurricanes and tropical storms in the area. There could also be an increase in water level in the watershed and a runoff of the freshwater.
Perspectives on the problem:
However, despite of all these predictions, there’s a widespread split in opinions. Researchers are widely divided in what might happen and what might not. So, the researchers have designed several scientific models and systems with which they are trying to draw conclusions.
The previous report insisted on introduction of ‘forest buffers’ and immediate steps to save the islands flora and fauna. These measures are aimed towards reducing water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay area.
Image credits: Tobinphoto, Heritageinterp
