PROLOGUE

Climate Change: What is It?

Climate change has a broad definition, but simply put it is the long-term change in global climate patterns. This includes both temperature and weather alteration. Climate change has been occurring steadily through this century, and is prompted by the over exposure of our atmosphere to fossil fuels. Some effects of climate change include rising global temperatures, higher ocean temperatures, shrinking of glacial areas, sea level rise, ocean acidification, more common occurrences of natural disasters, and more. These examples will be explored later!

How is Climate Change Affecting West Virginia?

This is a universally-felt issue; no one is safe from climate change.

Every country deals with the affects of this global warming; even West Virginia!

If you pay attention, you will be able to identify some ways in which climate change is affecting West Virginia! Some of these ways include the induction of milder winters and cooler, more rainy summers. While the rain is great for West Virginia's crops, the state is also very prone to flooding! Unfortunately, floods are a common occurrence in West Virginia thanks to climate change. A particularly bad flood in 2016 is proof of how climate change is affecting this area.

She Brings Natural Disasters

Climate change is seen as a huge monster which has a ton of forces and storms working for her.She enlists natural disasters to do her bidding, wreaking havoc and making sure that everyone knows She is coming - although many still do not believe. Really, Climate Change is afraid of herself; she knows what she will do to the world, and so she sends signs to humans, hoping they will see before it is too late.

Some of climate change's natural disasters

include storms such as hurricanes and tsunamis.

Tsunamis are huge waves which are

created by earthquakes, volcanic

eruptions, or even underwater

landslides. When the earth's tectonic plates shift, an earthquake occurs, causing a train of waves to travel toward the shore. As the waves travel to the shore, they grow in size and intensity until finally reaching the coast where they may wreak havoc. Although they are infrequent in occurrence, tsunamis can be incredibly powerful. The waves in a tsunami can travel up to 30 miles per hour and wave height can reach up to 100 feet!

Hurricanes

Climate Change, although discouraged by the disbelief

that she exists at all, decides to induce a few more storms to

throw mother earth's way. Hurricanes are types of storms known as tropical cyclones

Hurricanes occur when when a storm's winds reach up to

74 miles per hour and originate in the Atlantic Basin.

The intensity of hurricanes is rated by the

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which ranges 1-5.

The most powerful hurricane to occur in

recorded history was Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

Warm temperatures and higher sea levels, which are effects of climate change,

both encourage the existence of hurricanes. As the global temperature increases, t

he likely-hood for huge storms such as hurricanes or tsunamis also rises.

THE DAY SHE LOST THE CORALS

Climate Change cried as she sucked the beauty out of the sea. This was the last thing she wanted to do, but her power was not in her own hands; but that of the humans. She had tried to warn them with her storms, but they still did not see.

Coral Bleaching is whenever coral become stressed by harsh conditions such as extremely warm temperatures and pollution and the algae, which the coral depend upon for nutrients

and health, detaches from the coral, leaving a once vibrant reef a

bleached shell which is lacking protection and is very vulnerable

to predators or other factors. Coral bleaching results in the loss of

homes for 25% of the world's fish population. Whenever the corals

begin to suffer, the marine inhabitants also suffer , die, or are forced

to seek refuge elsewhere. Climate change's impact on ocean temperatures is only one cause of coral bleaching. Other causes include water pollution, disease, or extreme low tides. Climate Change watched as color was drained from corals all over the world. It watched as humans wondered at this phenomenon. Climate Change wishes someone would hear her warnings.

RED TIDES

Although incredibly saddened by the loss of the corals beautiful color, something else caught Climate Change's eye. The ocean was turning red! How she loved red.... But wait.... It seemed as if those red tides were a bit sinister.

Red tides are a phenomenon which occur whenever algae blooms overpopulate and releases toxins

into the ocean water. These toxins can be consumed by all types of marine life, and will prove fatal. Although commonly misrepresented as

harmless, red tides can also negatively affect humans, as the

toxins can cause illness. Red tides contaminate

marine life and shellfish as well as deplete

the oxygen level within the waters.

Unfortunately, red tides and algae blooms are the

leading cause of death for manitees,

which are heavily affected by this phenomenon.

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

After seeing the Red Tides, Climate Change realized that the ocean

is so much more complex than she thought. There are a

countless amount of factors which go into making

up the ocean and the way it works; including chemical

factors! The ocean has a very delicate chemical composition,

one which is being tampered with by climate change via a process called ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is the rising of the ocean's pH levels, and therefore the disruption of the ocean's chemical composition. This is cause by the ocean's absorbing of harmful gases which enter the atmosphere via the burning of fossil fuels, which is a huge cause of climate change!!! Ocean acidification affects marine life by altering the chemicals within the waters which the species desperately need to survive and flourish. These effects can be especially noted in organisms which rely on shells or other calcium-fortified armors. Climate Change couldn't help but let the ocean absorb the harmful chemicals. She sadly watched the little shellfish scuttling about, knowing they may soon lose their homes.

DEAD ZONES

But the shellfish were the least of her worries. One particular shellfish whispered to her as it tittered by, and told her of a new terror striking the marine community: dead zones. Dead zones are areas of water in which oxygen is depleted.

When the oxygen is depleted in the waters, marine life

suffers immensely. They either die or flee from

the area and crowd to a new habitat, which

results in overpopulation issues. These

dead zones, or hypoxic zones, can be

caused naturally but also are heavily

human-caused. One main cause of dead

zones is harmful run-off such as fertilizer.

Rainfall erodes harmful chemicals and washes them into the water. So Climate Change knew that, although perhaps not directly, dead zones were her fault too.

OVERFISHING

She observed humans fishing at alarming rates, despite this new dead zone phenomenon.

Since the beginning of humanity, seafood has been a staple in human diets. There is a seafood section in every grocery

store and an option on every menu.

However, what many humans fail to recognize

is how all of these products came to be

and how the constant demand is

affecting ocean life. Overfishing is when

fish are being caught and taken faster

than the populations can be replenished.

Climate Change wished she could help the fisheries and oceans being pushed beyond their limits. But she knew that it was out of her hands, now. All she could do was hope.

INVASIVE SPECIES

Climate Change watched as species fled from their newly disturbed homes, all crowding to similar areas. Sometimes, new species would enter the neighborhoods and disrupt things, causing other marine life to get sick or taking their food sources. Invading. Invasive Species are organisms which are present in an environment to which they are not native. Once in this new environment, the organism has the potential to harm the native species which are residing there already. They pose many threats to native species, including becoming predators and catching them off guard, bringing disease, and more. Sometimes, humans would take animals out of their native habitats and place them in a new one, causing them to be an invasive species. Climate Change hated that the most.

SEA LEVEL RISE

Climate Change radiated heat; so much so that the ocean started warming up. Distraught, she tried to cool herself down, but the humans kept adding fuel to her fire. As the ocean began to heat, the water expanded and sea level slowly began to rise. Sea Level Rise is the aftermath of either thermal expansion, melting glaciers, or melting ice sheets. As the ocean absorbs greenhouse gases, it is heated significantly, which causes both the expansion of water and the melting of glacial areas. Sea level rise can lead to erosion and soil contamination, as well as loss of habitats for tons of species. Climate change was pleading for humans to reduce their greenhouse gas usage, but instead they began trying other solutions; such as constructing seawalls and other beach stabilization methods.