Impact

Guest

This is the Ripton 3rd/4th Grade:

If the water does affect the current in the Atlantic Ocean, what can we do to stop the world from getting warmer?

How long have you been a scientists?

How long does the whole current cycle in the Atlantic Ocean take to go from the Arctic Ocean to the equator and back to the Arctic Ocean?

What happens if you find out if it is going to get colder in Western Europe--will you be scared or excited?

What types of plants and wildlife are the most popular in the Arctic?

If you find out the water from the rivers is going to affect the current in the Atlantic is there anything we can do to stop it?

Will you see any Siberian tigers or polar bears?

Does this have anything to do with global warming?

Does the current in the Atlantic flow slower at night?

Guest

Dear Ripton 3rd and 4th Grade Students:
Thanks for the excellent questions. My answers are below.
Max

1. If the water does affect the current in the Atlantic Ocean, what can we do to stop getting warmer?

As Ms. Clapp explained to you, the amount of water that flows out of Russian rivers into the Arctic Ocean each year is increasing. If enough extra freshwater enters the ocean, if could change the way the ocean circulates (how water moves around in the world’s ocean), and that would impact Earth’s climate. We think that the increased river discharge is related to global warming, and if Earth continues to get warmer, Arctic river discharge will continue to increase. So your question about how to stop the warming is a very good question. The main cause of the warming is the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is going up. Carbon dioxide is a gas, and as more of it accumulates in the atmosphere, more of the suns heat is trapped in the atmosphere. So to slow the rate of global warming, we need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere. When we use oil and gas and coal, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. So the best solution for reducing global warming is to burn lest oil and gas and coal.

2. How long have you been a scientist?

Someone asked me a similar question a few weeks ago. I had two answers. The first answer is that I’ve been a scientist for about 10-15 years. But then I thought about it some more, and I asked myself what it meant to be a scientist. In many ways, a scientist is someone who is curious about the world around them, asks a lot of questions, and tries to figure out how the world (or the universe) works. So by that definition, I guess I’ve been a scientist almost my entire life, and maybe most of you are scientists too.

3. How long does the whole current cycle in the Atlantic Ocean take to go from the Arctic Ocean to the equator and back to the Arctic Ocean?

That is an excellent question – and I don’t know the answer! But I guess the current moves about a fast as you walk, so it would take a long time for the water to complete the cycle. But I’ll try to find out what the answer actually is.

4. What happens if you find out if it is going to get colder in Western Europe--will you be scared or excited?

That’s also a really good question. I guess I’ll be nervous if the ocean conveyor circulation starts to slow and Western Europe begins to gets colder. Because this would be another demonstration that human activities are having a big impact on the earth’s climate, and I’d get even more nervous about what might happen next.

5. What types of plants and wildlife are the most popular in the Arctic?

The are lots of very interesting plants and animals in the Arctic. Some of the most exciting animals are polar bears, whales, grizzly bears, musk ox, caribou, fox, moose, wolves, eagles, and lots of interesting fish. For plants, there are many kinds of flowers and trees and shrubs.

6. If you find out the water from the rivers is going to affect the current in the Atlantic is there anything we can do to stop it?

That’s an excellent question. And yes, I think that there may be something we can do about it. We think that the cause of the increasing river discharge is related to global warming, and global warming is related to increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And the reason that carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere is that humans are burning oil and gas and coal, and when you burn those things, carbon dioxide is produced. So it would be good if we’d burn less oil and gas and coal.

7. Will you see any Siberian tigers or polar bears?

No, probably not. Sometime I hope to see a polar bear, but I don’t think we’ll see one this time.

8. Does this have anything to do with global warming?

Great question! And yes, it does have something to do with global warming. For more explanation, see Question #6 above.

9. Does the current in the Atlantic flow slower at night?

That’s a question I’ve never heard before. I don’t think it would slow at night, but interesting question!