En 100 Lab 5 - Climate Change In The Past

En 100 Lab 5 - Climate Change in the Past

En 100 Lab 5 - Climate Change in the Past For this lab, you are going to watch a short documentary about a relatively new discovery made off the Alabama coast which has implications for understanding how our climate has changed over time. Click on the following link: The Underwater Forest: Now, write a 1 page summary (single-spaced, 12 point font, Calibri) of the documentary. Be sure to answer the following questions within your summary: • What was the discovery and why is it significant and surprising? • What kinds of data were collected and what did they tell us? • How different is that discovery compared to coastal forests of today? • Given the age of the discovery, what does that tell us about how the climate has changed in Alabama and the globe? • When did that climate change occur? • Did humans have any influence over the sea level rises that buried that forest? Submit your answer as a .pdf or .doc/.docx document on Blackboard.

Paper For Above instruction

The discovery of an ancient underwater forest off the coast of Alabama represents a groundbreaking development in the study of climate change and sea-level rise. This underwater archaeological and geological find unveils a preserved forest that existed thousands of years ago, providing invaluable insights into past climatic conditions and sea-level fluctuations. The significance of this discovery lies in its ability to serve as a tangible record of environmental change, offering a rare glimpse into the climate and sea level during a period when the region was substantially different from today.

The researchers involved in this discovery collected a variety of data, including core samples, sediment analysis, and carbon dating. Core samples extracted from the submerged sediments revealed plant material and organic matter that were indicative of terrestrial forests that once thrived in the area. Radiocarbon dating of this material indicated that the forest existed approximately 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Sediment analysis provided evidence of dramatic shifts in sea levels, with the forest being buried under water as sea levels rose following the last Ice Age. These data collectively told a story of climate change marked by warming temperatures and rising seas that transitioned the landscape from land to submerged forest.

This ancient forest sharply contrasts with current coastal forests, which are typically composed of different species adapted to modern sea levels and climate conditions. The preserved forest’s age suggests it thrived in a much cooler and lower sea level environment, with the land primarily above water at that time. Its preservation under water indicates a significant sea-level rise since then, caused by melting glaciers and the warming climate. The discovery enhances our understanding of how rapidly such changes can occur and helps to calibrate models predicting future sea-level rise based on ongoing climate trends.

Given the age of the forest, approximately 6,000 years old, this discovery indicates that climatic conditions in Alabama and globally have undergone substantial change during the Holocene epoch. The transition from land to submerged forest correlates with post-glacial melting from the last Ice Age, which caused sea levels to rise sharply. This period of climate transition was marked by increasing temperatures and melting ice sheets, contributing to rising sea levels. Today’s climate change, driven by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, appears to be accelerating these natural processes, suggesting that the current rate of sea-level rise could surpass historical precedents.

Humans have likely influenced sea level rise indirectly through the emission of greenhouse gases, which have accelerated climate warming and ice melt. While natural processes primarily caused the initial rise after the last Ice Age, the current rapid increase in sea levels is closely linked to anthropogenic climate change. The burial of the ancient forest under rising seas thus reflects a natural response to climate warming, but the current pace is intensified and less predictable, emphasizing the importance of addressing human contributions to mitigate future impacts.

References

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