Alaska:
Alaska Peninsula
The southern region of Alaska has not experienced the same dramatic impacts of climate change as the
more-northerly reaches of the state. Here, however, differences in oceanic processes are proving to be
significant.
In general, ocean life is less tolerant of change than terrestrial life-any change in ocean conditions can
have a big influence on sea creatures. Oceans tend to have a slow response rate when outside forces exert
influences; thus, it's harder for humans to comprehend the kinds of changes that can occur in marine environments
over time.
The warming of the oceans is a good example of this phenomenon. "Even if greenhouse gas emissions were stabilized
today, warming would continue for at least two more decades due to the slow response of the oceans" (Hanna, 2007).
This leads one to wonder: How much change can we expect in the coming decades? Joined with other human influences
(such as oil spills, fish hatcheries, and the impacts of other new technologies), what will our environmental future
bring?
Uncommon occurrences in the natural world are being attributed more and more to climate change. However,
through our rapid development of new technologies, and our often careless practices around those technologies, the
causes of various impacts are often obscured-is a particular impact due to changes in climate or the result of
other human, or even natural, impacts?
The herring crash in the mid 1990s presents a good example. It might have resulted from the Exxon Valdez oil spill,
which took place in the area at the time, or it might have been caused by, or exacerbated by, climate change.
Perhaps the decline in shellfish is due to an increase in predatory sea otters since the end of the Russian fur
trade. When considering changes in the ocean environment, it is difficult to fathom what is and what is not
related to climate change. One thing is certain however-our actions are impacting ocean habitats.
