The Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert and its Anthropogenic Impacts

by Rachel Venturino

 (http://rango.wikia.com/wiki/Mojave_Desert)

 History      

      

        The Mojave Desert takes up a large portion of southeastern California, sections of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona.  This desert receives around 12 inches of rainfall annually, and its elevation is between 2,000 and 5,000 feet.  11,000 years ago, the ecological zones of the Mojave Desert were one thousand feet lower in elevation than today due to the cooler and wetter weather patterns of the waning Ice Age.  In addition, streams flowed and lakes existed where dry lakes currently exist.  The relative abundance of plant communities supported wildlife and indigenous peoples depended upon the natural resources of the Mojave.  Historically, the Cahuilla Indians inhabited this desert region, and like other Native American peoples, they relied on their environment to survive.  Of the resources available to them, one included the mesquite tree, which served many purposes.  The Natives used mesquite wood, bark, and leaves to build their homes, as well as a staple food item, making tea out of the seeds and eating the dried and ground mesquite seedpods.  Up to this point in history, the human population was sparse and its environmental impact was sustainable.  The problem that has arisen in recent years is the growing urbanization that has occurred in various regions throughout the Mojave, which has caused many negative effects on this desert’s complex ecosystem.  The anthropogenic impacts of urbanization include but are not limited to the development of railways and cities, groundwater pumping, and the construction of roads.

 

 (http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/mojave_desert.htm)

  

Anthropogenic Impacts

             

        Even though historically humans have not heavily populated the Mojave Desert, it has increasingly become urbanized in recent years.  Las Vegas Nevada is the largest city in the Mojave, with a metropolitan population of around 1.9 million in 2006.  In addition, over 850,000 people live in areas of the Mojave attached to the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area including Palmdale and Lancaster.  One of the main problems associated with urbanization is that it leads to the destruction of natural habitat, which leads to the forced relocation or elimination of plant and animal species that inhabit the area.  In addition, urbanization results in the depletion of local resources such as water and vegetation that many animal species rely on for survival.  In this way, urbanization has led to many plant and animal species in the Mojave Desert becoming endangered or threatened such as desert tortoises, bald eagles, mountain lions, bad water snails, the bear-paw poppy, and the panamint daisy.  In addition, land managers have to deal with competing uses for the land including all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, military use, mining, and livestock and agriculture, all activities undoubtedly contributing to the amount of endangered and threatened species.

  (http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/west/eco14Report.html)

           

       The Mojave Desert contains four national parks in which humans take part in many recreational activities.  The problem with this is that even a single footprint has a long-lasting effect on desert ecosystems: nitrogen fixation stops in the soil and underlying soil connections are broken.  In this case, most human activities in the Mojave Desert are harmful to biological soil crusts, which are the layers of soil whose particles cohere because of organic material including live organisms and their waste products.  These crusts cannot handle the compressional stress caused by the footprints of livestock and people or by the tires of vehicles.  Because most living crust biomass is concentrated in the top 1/8th inch of the soil, even small impacts can have profound consequences.  Crushed crusts contribute less nitrogen and organic material to the ecosystem and the soils are left highly susceptible to both wind and water erosion.

            Future Prospects

        Although the human encroachment into the Mojave Desert in the forms of recreation and urbanization has had many negative impacts, some areas impacted and abandoned by humans such as old railroad tracks do have a chance for recovery.  Leonard Gaydos, Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems project has been using satellite data to develop tools that will help Mojave Desert land managers decide what recreational activities to allow and where to allow them.  Gaydos has stated, "The good news is that the desert seems to recover faster than earlier models predicted.  The bad news is that it still takes the land a long time to return to its original state, and, in some cases, it may never be exactly what it was before the disturbance occurred".  This is due to the fact that the damage that has been done to the organic material underneath the soil’s crust cannot be easily repaired since the living organisms in the soil only inhabit the soil’s surface.  Under good conditions, a thin veneer of cyanobacteria may return within five years.  Unfortunately though recovery may take up to twenty years in locations of the Mojave Desert that receive a measurable amount of rainfall, and could take over 250 years in places that receive extremely low rainfall.  Both of these estimates are assuming that an area is not impacted by any more disturbances.

            

Protection and Restoration

        Restoration is a key practice that humans should continue in the Mojave Desert, preferably on a larger scale than currently taking place.  The success of such restoration is evident through a recent project in the Mojave Desert, in which seedlings planted in the summer with temperatures above 100°F and located far from water systems had a survival rate above 80%.  National parks are mostly successful in protecting the environment from development, yet they cannot fully protect the ecosystems of the Mojave.  This is due to the fact that ecological damage still occurs from recreational activities, walking, and driving.  These areas protected from human development are extremely important to maintain and expand.  This is because the environmental impact caused by foot and car traffic within protected areas is far less than the impact of urbanization.  There are also other ways individuals and organizations interested can get involved in preserving the Mojave.  An example of a successful protection effort is the Mojave Desert Land Trust, which has protected almost 28,000 acres of desert land, through acquisition, conservation easements and strategic partnerships.  Education is another important component of ecosystem protection necessary to improve and continue positive human impacts on the environment.  Many programs have developed in national forests and in schools in and around the Mojave Desert that teach individuals how to respect the environment and its natural resources when visiting the Mojave ecosystem.  

 (http://www.appl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3334)

Population trends in counties of the Mojave Basin and Range Ecoregion:

 (http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/west/eco14Report.html)

Works Cited

"Children and Public Lands - Association of Partners for Public Lands." Home - Association 

         of Partners for Public Lands. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.appl.org/i4a/pages

         /index.cfm?pageid=3334>.     

 Luckenbach R (1982) Ecology and Management of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus  

        agassizii) in California. In: Bury RB (ed) North American tortoises: conservation

          and ecology. Wildl Res Rep12, USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC.

   

"The Mojave Desert - DesertUSA." Desert Biomes by DesertUSA. Digital West Media, Inc.      

        Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.desertusa.com/du_mojave.html>.

"Mojave Desert." Blue Planet Biomes. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.  

         <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/mojave_desert.htm>.

"Mojave Desert." Rango Wiki. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://rango.wikia.com

         /wiki/Mojave_Desert>. 

  Sleeter, Benjamin M. “Mojave Basin and Range Ecoregion Summary” USGC Land

         Cover Trends Project. 12 April 2011. 

         http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/west/eco14Report.html

Schmidt, Laurie. "Human Impact on the Mojave (DAAC Study) : Feature Articles." 

          NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

             <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Mojave/>.

Weeks, John Howard. (1998) Mojave Desert.  New York: Arcadia Publishing

The Great Barrier Reef

By: Erin Sakakibara

http://papundits.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/australias-great-barrier-reef-and-climate-change/

One of the Seven Wonders of the World

http://www.wo-war-ich-schon.de/platz/bc6989393c28c081/Australien/kein/Great-Barrier-Reef/Great-Barrier-Reef.html

History

Historically, the Great Barrier Reef was an immaculate, well-protected ecosystem. It consists of over 2,900 reefs and around 940 islands. The reef is 345,000 square kilometers in size along the east coast of Australia, which is about the size of California. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Earth’s largest coral reef has been valued for its natural breathtaking beauty. After being a highly successful life form for 250 million years, disruptions in the biological and communication systems of the reef are now degrading the ecosystem. Over the last 150 years, pollution levels have increased, fish stocks have been depleted in local areas, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate have increased by 200-1,500% from runoff. About 30 years ago, water quality was first classified as a threat to the Great Barrier Reef. The ecosystem experienced two major coral bleaching episodes in 1998 and 2002, affecting over 50% of the reefs. In the past two decades, scientists have looked at skeletal records of corals along the Great Barrier Reef and have seen a sudden decline in calcification, meaning they are growing slower. This could mean that the impacts of threats will be exacerbated and the reef will take longer to recover from things like coral bleaching and storms. Recent ocean acidification makes it more difficult for organisms to form protective shells and species go extinct as well.

 

The only ecosystem visible from space

http://www.the-great-barrier-reef-experience.com

What are we doing to it??

Coral reefs are fragile, balanced ecosystems; the smallest alteration can affect the whole environment. If we lose coral reefs, we throw off the equilibrium of the marine ecosystem. Over-fishing, pollution, and global warming are the three main factors that are upsetting the balance of the ecosystem in the coral reefs. Overfishing is the practice of catching marine species faster than they can reproduce. It devastates the reef and causes disruptions to the food circle. Specific aggressive kinds of fishing have hurt the reef beyond repair, disrupting important plant and animal life sources. Over-fishing has resulted in a shift in the reef and affected the biodiversity and balance of the ecosystem. Pollution threatens the reef's stability and survival. Fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, human sewage, oil spills and sediment runoff are various pollutants that gradually destroy the reef’s biodiversity.

Climate change is arguable the most significant impact on the Great Barrier Reef. Humans induce global warming that raises the water temperature and affects the ecosystems. The waters of the Great Barrier Reef are warming and are predicted to continue warming throughout the 21^st Century, leading to increased levels of coral bleaching, coral mortality, and biodiversity depletion of this valuable marine ecosystem. The amplified UV rays hamper the ability of plants and algae to photosynthesize, resulting in less energy in the marine ecosystems, and having fatal impacts, especially in the reefs. Coral bleaching is the most prominent effect of global warming, and it is currently affecting all coral ecosystems. Increased temperatures, sedimentation, higher UV radiation, reduced light, and changes in salt levels cause the corals to expel their algae, leaving them colorless and unable to produce energy.

Sea surface temperatures at the southern Great Barrier Reef showing increased temperatures over inshore reefs, the location of the most severe coral bleaching at present. The image was created from the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. The temperatures range from 25 to 30 degrees Celsius (77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) as indicated on the color bar (right).

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0405-nasa.html

We need to do something ASAP!

If we do not act now, the Great Barrier Reef could be the first global ecosystem to collapse. Charlie Vernon, former chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, says that the Reef will be so degraded by global warming, that in 20 years it will be unrecognizable. While coral bleaching is reversible, warmer waters and increased salinity makes the reversal process almost impossible. Warmer water also results in fewer male turtle hatchings, threatens migration, calving, and feeding habitats used by whales, and forces birds to fly farther for find food in cooler water, exhausting and killing them.

The pressures on this Australian reef are also affecting coral reefs around the world. Scientists do not know what a world without coral reefs will be like. Economic and food shortages could affect regions near reefs. Reefs also protect shorelines and coasts from erosion, hurricane effects, and other harsh weather. In Australia, reef industries, like tourism and fishing, contribute $5.4 billion annually to the economy and employ about 63,000 people. Without the revenue and jobs that the Great Barrier Reef provides, the Australian economy will be in trouble as well. Although the future looks grim for the Great Barrier Reef, we can still do things to help maintain it!

Our Plan

With coral reefs in great decline, we can take action in several ways both on and off the water to protect the environment. The reef provides us with an opportunity to explore the ocean, but we must limit ourselves by not touching sea organisms, feeding fish, or taking home souvenirs, as there is the possibility of damaging the reef and threatening the safety of various endangered species. When swimming on the reef, we must remember not to leave litter behind; picking up others’ trash would be helpful as well. People who own boats have the additional responsibility of maintaining their equipment and replacing old engines with cleaner, more efficient engines to prevent toxins such as paint, lubricants, and fuel from being released into the water. But even if we are not in direct contact with the ocean, we can still improve our impact on the coral reefs.

According to Professor Guldberg of the Global Change Institute, global climate change is being linked to rising sea temperatures, causing widespread coral bleaching. Therefore, to reduce global warming and our carbon emissions, it is advisable to cut back on our electricity and automobile use, to dispose of household chemicals properly, and to use detergents with lower levels of nitrates and phosphates. On an individual scale, we can buy organic produce that is grown without chemicals that often end up in the ocean, as well as buy fish that is caught in a sustainable manner. But on a larger scale, we can join conservation groups and lend our efforts to lobbying for climate change legislation. The Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan, proposed by environmental authorities in Australia, also presents several strategies for addressing the impact of climate change on the reef. One objective is to increase awareness and involvement of communities, businesses, and industry leaders in climate change monitoring. Another goal is to collaborate with educators, local governments, and tourism organizations to support initiatives that would reduce their carbon footprint. There are a variety of ways to improve the impact we have on ocean life, and we can each do our part, whether it is at the individual or community level. Although it will take time and energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the damage of climate change, with a global, concerted effort, we can save ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef from further deterioration. 

Works Cited

Blogger, Climate Guest. "April 4 News: Saving Great Barrier Reef Requires Cutting CO2 Quickly; 
     World Bank to Favour Green Investments over Coal; Passive Housing Advances." ThinkProgress. 
     Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/04/04/207817/news-saving-great-barrier-
     reef-requires-cutting-co2-quickly-world-bank-to-favour-green-investments-over-coal/>.

Butler, Rhett A. "Coral Reefs Decimated by 2050, Great Barrier Reef's Coral 95% Dead."  
     Conservation and Environmental Science News. 17 Nov. 2005. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. 
     <http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-corals.html>.

Cook-Anderson, Gretchen. "Recent Coral Bleaching at Great Barrier Reef." Conservation and 
     Environmental Science News. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0405-
     nasa.html>.

"Great Barrier Reef City Information and Travel Guide - Great Barrier Reef.com." Great Barrier Reef 
     - Local Travel Information and Guide. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.greatbarrierreef.com/ 
     v/city_info/>.

The Great Barrier Reef Experience. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.the-great-barrier-
     reef-experience.com/>.

"Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef: Introduction." Web. 30 Nov. 2011. 
     <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gc2sec7labgroup3/introduction>.

Kazan, Casey. "Life at the Edge: Great Barrier Reef Could Be World's 1st Gobal Ecosystem to 
     Collapse." The Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel -Your Daily Dose of Awe: Science, 
     Space, Tech. 21 July 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/07
     /life-at-the-edge-great-barrier-reef-could-be-worlds-1st-gobal-ecosystem-to-collapse.html>.

Llanos, Miguel. "Great Barrier Reef Coral in Crisis - US News - Environment - Climate Change - 
     Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local 
     News- Msnbc.com. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28436388/ns/us_news-
     environment/t/coral-growth-decline-great-barrier-reef/>.

 Patsalides, Laurie. "How Global Warming Affects The Great Barrier Reef." Find Science & 
     Technology Articles, Education Lesson Plans, Tech Tips, Computer Hardware & Software Reviews, 
     News and More at Bright Hub. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.brighthub.com/environment
     /science-environmental/articles/50617.aspx>.

Pearce, Fred. "Massive Coral Bleaching Strikes Great Barrier Reef - 12 April 2002 - New Scientist."  
     Science News and Science Jobs from New Scientist - New Scientist. 12 Apr. 2002. Web. 30 Nov. 
     2011. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2164-massive-coral-bleaching-strikes-great-barrier-
     reef.html>.

Thompson, Anne. "Barrier Reef and Its Bounty under Attack - Nightly News - Msnbc.com."  
     Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- 
     Msnbc.com. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19680311/ns/nightly_news
     /t/great-barrier-reef-its-bounty-under-attack/>.

"Wwf - The Great Barrier Reef." Wwf - Australia: Global Environmental Conservation Organisation. 
     Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world 
     /oceans_and_marine/priority_ocean_places/great_barrier_reef/>.

Southern California Tide Pools- Katie Bassak

Southern California Tide Pools

Katie Bassak

http://www.seathos.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/map-marine-protected-areas.jpg

History

http://www.rwongphoto.com/RW2285_web.jpg

Tide pools reside where the ocean meets land. It is a very beautiful place with many colorful organisms, beautiful shells, and unique plants. It is also a very historical place. Some of the rocks that are found around tide pools contain petrified vertebrae of gray whales that lived 10 to 12 million years ago. It is definitely a constantly changing ecosystem. The rise and fall of the tide is due to the gravitational and centrifugal forces between Earth, the moon, and the sun. The living things in the tide pools are used to all of the change that the waters bring. They are prepared to face the challenges that come with such a rough environment full of waves. But, in recent history, these conditions have been altered. Because of global warming and the melting of the ice caps, there is a rise in the sea level. This causes many of the tide pools to go completely underwater. The plants and animals are not meant to be complete submerged. In addition, there is a general rise in the earth’s temperature, which also causes problems for the plants and animals. They are prepared for natural changes in their environments, but if the change it too drastic, they will either migrate or die.

Current Human Impacts

http://www.ocmarineprotection.org/human_impacts.pdf

Humans are currently damaging the intertidal zones of Southern California tide pools in various ways. These tide pools are very sensitive ecosystems. Visitors to the tide pools are harvesting too many animals and plants. They are taking them for food, bait, and home aquariums. This is causing some species to become very scarce. Also, the human population is also increasing on the coastlines, so more people have access to the intertidal zones, which results in more plant and animal harvesting, as well as trampling. Trampling occurs when many visitors go to the tide pools and crush the creatures and plants that are living there. Shells are also collected in large quantities by visitors and gift shops. This is bad because these shells may still have occupants. Also, other animals such as hermit crabs rely on these empty shells to inhabit. This is also causing a decrease in average shell size, because all of the larger shells are being taken from the tide pools, as shown by the graph above. Humans are also causing coastal pollution. We leave trash on the beaches, there are oil and sewage spills, and our machines also cause toxic chemical run off. The global climate change that humans are creating is also effecting the tide pools. As the ocean temperature is rising due to global warming, intertidal animals and plants shift their distribution, so there are bigger changes in their populations.

Likely Future Prospects

Graph 2
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942008?seq=7

Graph 1
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942008?seq=6

Graph 3

http://www.ocmarineprotection.org/human_impacts.pdf

The state of the tide pools in Southern California is not good, but it is not as bad as other pools around the world in such countries as Chile, South Africa, and Australia. But by looking at the graphs above, we can see that if we continue to pollute the ocean and harvest and trample tide pools plants and animals, eventually there will be very few living things left in Southern California’s pools. The first graph shows that the closer the tide pool is to public access, the more overturned rocks there are and the less algae there is. The second graph shows that the more public access there is, the fewer organisms there are. These graphs both illustrate that people are not being careful enough when we visit the southern California tide pools. They are lacking respect for the plants and animals that live there. The third graph shows that the more steps that are taken at a tide pool, the more biomass is harvested. Overall, we are lacking respect for the sea life at the Southern California tide pools. Visiting the tide pools is both fun and educational, but if we continue to treat these areas badly, every living thing will be destroyed.

Protecting the Tide Pools

http://www.rwongphoto.com/RW1309.html

There is hope for the future of the Southern California tide pools. Although some damage has been done, we can do many things to help protect the various plants and animals that live there now. There are currently various marine reserves and laws that exist, however the protection of the tide pools all depends on the enforcement of these laws, and the compliance by the public. When visiting the tide pools, take pictures of the shells, plants, and animals instead of taking them with you. If you handle any animals in the pools, be very careful. Watch where you step when exploring in and around the pool. Make sure to clean up all your trash. The goal is to leave no trace of your visit. We want to preserve these beautiful pools for as long as possible so we can continue to enjoy and learn from them.

Works Cited

Addessi, Loana. "Human Disturbance and Long-Term Changes on a Rocky Intertidal Community." JSTOR. JSTOR, 2004. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942008>.

"Cabrillo National Monument - Tidepools (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service. 2 Feb. 2009. Web. <http://www.nps.gov/cabr/naturescience/tidepools.htm>.

Faris, Gerald. "Cabrillo Museum Tours Explore Tide Pools' Miniature Worlds. - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. 06 Jan. 1989. Web. <http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-06/local/me-178_1_tide-pools>.

"Human Impacts on Rocky Intertidal Shores." OC Marine Protected Areas. 2011. Web. <http://www.ocmarineprotection.org/human_impacts.pdf>.

"TIDE POOLS - Human Impact & Conservation." SeaWorld/Busch Gardens. SeaWorld/Busch Gardens. Web. <http://www.seaworld.org/wild-world/ecosystems/info-books/tide-pools/human-impact.htm>.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge- Lok Man Natalie Chow

http://arctic.fws.gov/images/anwrak.gif

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during Spring

http://arctic.fws.gov/images/arctic.gif

Historical State of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Initially, a large region of northeastern Alaska was to be an oil reserve called Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4, or later known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.  In World War II, this area was utilized for the military.  However, a group of researchers discovered that such area would be very suitable as a wildlife protection area.  Therefore, the U.S. government created two areas in the northeastern Alaskan region: an area along Prudhoe Bay for oil and gas production and an 8.9 million-acre region between Brooks Range and Beaufort Sea that was called the Arctic National Wildlife Range, or later known as Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  Large amounts of oil were found in Prudhoe Bay, which led to attempts of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  To protect against these attempts, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed in 1980.  The act increased the size of the reserve from 8.9 million acres to 19 million acres in total—8 million acres for wilderness areas, 9.5 million acres for the wildlife refuge and 1.5 million acres for a coastal plain study area.

Current Human Impacts

One of the controversies about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was oil drilling.  Donald Hodel, President Reagan’s Secretary of the Interior, proposed the idea of drilling for oil in the region in 1987.  By doing so, the nation would be able to increase domestic oil production.  However, in less than ten days, the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred.  Prince William Sound was polluted with more than 10 million gallons of crude oil.  Many species such as harbor seals, loons, and pigeon guillemots were greatly affected by such incident.  In 1991, another attempt of such proposition occurred, but it was once again defeated.  It was estimated that the area contained approximately between 3.2 to 5.6 billion barrels of oil.  Despite the possible oil value the land had, a main issue was that the habitat could be greatly affected if oil production was to occur.  It was said to affect around 200 species of mammals and birds, such as the caribou.  The oil industry suggested operating in winter to reduce the impact on the habitat by working on ice pads and ice roads that would melt away by spring.  Despite the migratory birds and the caribou that would be gone in winter, there was still a large number of pregnant polar bears that were to be denning in snowbanks along the coast.  The debate on oil leasing of the reserve is still continuing.

The Arctic Wildlife Refuge is also affected by the issue of climate change.  Research showed changes that could be very devastating; for instance, the sea ice was found to have decreased immensely.  Permafrost was found to have warmed 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit from 1984 to 2004 on the coastal plain of the Refuge.  Many alpine glaciers on the reserve, such as the McCall Glacier, were diminishing greatly.  Polar bears had been found dead due to drowning in large body of water.  There were also cases of cannibalism with polar bears that might be caused by the thinning of ice.  Besides polar bears, other animals were also affected such as Muskox.  This species have reduced in number in the reserve.  Such decrease might be due to the changing weather of freezing rain and thaws.

Future Prospects

If oil drilling did occur in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Inupiat Eskimos supported oil drilling as it would provide much economic opportunity.  Indeed, the U.S. would be less reliant on imports if the refuge was opened to oil production (about 57% of the petroleum the U.S. consumes are imported).  If ANWR was drilled for oil, U.S. import oil dependency would decrease to 46 to 49%.  However, drilling oil would greatly affect the Gwich’in Indians that lived south of the Brooks Range, as they were subsistence hunters, therefore relying on caribou (3,000 to 5,000 were killed and used every year).  Furthermore, the habitat would be destroyed, devastating many mammals (gray wolves, polar bears, brown bears, black bears, caribou, and dall sheep) and birds (tundra swans, snow geese, bluethroats and buff-breasted sandpiper) and fish (arctic grayling, dolly varden, and arctic cisco).  The reserve contains 5 different ecological regions—coastal marine, coastal plain tundra, alpine tundra, forest-tundra, and boreal forest and oil drilling would damage such a diverse region.  In addition, if the climate change continues as such rate, all Brooks Range glaciers would vanish within 80 to 100 years.  Animals such as polar bears would not survive if the climate continued to increase, as polar bears had drowned previously due to unusual open areas of water.

What Can Be Done For Improvements

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be preserved if oil drilling does not occur.  Despite the economy opportunites that the reserve may present with oil drilling, people must conserve one of the few Arctic regions left in America.  Groups must continue to lobby in favor of preserving the habitat.  In 2010, key legislators and some groups have started a campaign to make the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into a national monument as an attempt to preserve the land.  Also, people being more aware of global warming and taking preventive measures would help control the increasing temperatures that are occurring in the reserve.  Many animals are adapted to a limited climate range and therefore keeping the climate in check will reduce the negative impacts.

http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/pdf/sroiaf(2008)03.pdf

http://arctic.fws.gov/images/seaice2008.jpg

References

"For 30 Years, a Political Battle Over Oil and ANWR." . NPR, 10 Nov 2005. Web. 25

Nov 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007819>.

"History of ANWR." . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2011. <http://www.unc.edu/~money/

geography/history.html>.

Kaye, Roger W. "The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An exploration of the Meanings

Embodied in America's Last Great Wilderness." n. page. Print. <http://www.

wilderness.net/library/documents/science1999/Volume2/Kaye_2-10.pdf>.

Mitchell, John G.. "Oil Field or Sanctuary?." National Geographic Magazine. National

Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 26 Nov 2011. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com

/ngm/data/2001/08/01/html/ft_20010801.3.html>.

Murphy, Kim. "Effort launched to prevent drilling in Arctic refuge." Los Angeles Times.

19 Nov 2010: n. page. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/

19/nation/la-na-arctic-refuge-20101120>.

United States. U.S. Department of Energy. Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic

National Wildlife Refuge. Washington, DC: , 2008. Print. <http://www.eia.gov/

oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/pdf/sroiaf(2008)03.pdf>.

 "Wildlife and Wild Landscapes." Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Alaska Region. U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 13 Jul 2011. Web. 28 Nov 2011. <http://arctic.fws.gov/

wildlife_habitat.htm>.

 "Climate Change and its Impacts." Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Alaska Region. U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 29 Dec 2009. Web. 28 Nov 2011. <http://arctic.fws.

gov/ctclimatechange09.htm>.