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Scientists, Boone locals observe consequences of global warming |
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Thursday, 29 March 2007 |
by AUBREY RESECH
News Reporter
Some say that it will cause oceans to rise by 20 feet. Some say if it continues, entire animal and plant populations will become extinct. Skeptics feel it is simply a scare while environmentalists feel it poses a strong enough threat to endanger human abilities to live on Earth.
Yet, all can agree that an international movement has indeed begun: to study and to predict the potential consequences of global warming.
In
a report released in February by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), scientists and officials who have studied the various
aspects of global warming revealed that humans are one of
the largest contributing factors, according to CNN.
The rest of the report will be delivered in three segments, with the next being released in April.
“I believe that global warming has the potential to be the greatest
threat to humanity of any anthropogenically caused changes,” biology
professor Dr. Howard S. Neufeld said. “And from the study of the
scientific literature and the new IPCC panel on climate change, there
is no question that a large portion of global warming is due to the
activities of humans. In particular, the burning of fossil fuels,
deforestation and habitat deconstruction.”
Many students and faculty at Appalachian State University have begun to
make contributions to the study of global warming by examining local
ecosystems.
One biology graduate student, Shawn N. Villalpando, worked on a study of how climate changes have affected local insect life.
Villalpando’s research focused on insects that lived in old-field
plants, or plants that comprise abandoned and overgrown fields, and the
effect of simulated climate change on those insects. Some factors of
the climate change that were measured included increased carbon
dioxide, increased temperature and decreased moisture.
“Based on the data [collected], my study shows that global warming
could potentially affect insect community diversity and structure,
which could potentially affect whole-ecosystem level processes,”
Villalpando said.
Neufeld is also studying the levels and effects of ozone on the
environment. With respect to ozone, several characteristics have been
observed, Neufeld said.
“A colleague has just published an article in an international journal
showing that the failure of trees to close their stomata after being
exposed to ozone in the Southeast leads to so much water loss by
transpiration that it actually dries out and reduces stream flow in
Southern Appalachian ecosystems,” Neufeld said.
Other faculty members have observed climate changes from different sources.
“I can make one observation about local [environmental] changes, namely
species of insects, especially flies, once absent or rare in Watauga
County, as being more common,” Dr. Ray Williams, assistant chairperson
and associate biology professor, said. “Though I have not studied this
closely, I suggest a shift into our areas of insect species from
habitats off the mountain.”
Dr. Baker Perry, a climatologist and assistant geology and planning
professor, provided statistics for this past winter’s temperatures, as
recorded by the State Climate Office through the Boone 1 SE cooperative
observer station.
The average temperature in December was 38.6 degrees, which was an
increase of 5.6 degrees, compared to temperatures in the past. January
also reflected an increase in temperature by 4.9 degrees.
Dr. Joan B. Woodworth, a psychology professor, teaches a class on
ecological psychology that studies the relationship of human beings to
the other-than-human world in an attempt to define nature.
The class also studies sustainable living, the impacts of consumerism and eco-therapy.
“We look at the responses of people towards ecological crisis and often
find that they experience denial or disbelief,” Woodworth said.
With regards to global warming, not only will humans see living things
affected physically, but also humans’ own sense of health and wellbeing
will be affected, Woodworth said.
Students are also involved in many clubs and societies that support the
initiative to help alleviate the affects of global warming.
Bryan M. Burris, a senior industrial technology major, is the vice president of the Sustainable Energy Society at Appalachian.
He supports measures that can be taken to prevent global warming, such as renewable energy use.
“Renewable energy is energy that does not emit harmful greenhouse gases
and toxins into our environment like coal and fossil fuels,” Burris
said. “I am optimistic that given the right leadership and policies, we
can meet our energy needs from clean and renewable sources.”
Global warming is a growing issue that many, whether skeptical or
supportive, are being forced to acknowledge. Some are hopeful that
human beings have the capability to alter the course of global warming,
while others reserve little optimism at all.
The Environmental Protection Agency offers several suggestions for
people who are looking to help prevent the progression of global
warming.
The agency suggests reducing, reusing and recycling, along with efficient use of water, are helpful steps to take.
“We have but one Earth, and it would be foolish to assume that global
climate change is not a serious problem,” Neufeld said. “It’s much
easier to prevent a disaster than to clean up after it.”
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