Canaries in the Coal Mine

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Canaries in the Coal Mine

• Birds have long been indicators of the health of
  our environment.

For many years, coal miners took canaries in
cages deep into the pits. When a canary showed
any signs of stress, the miners knew they needed
to get out!
Photo contributed by www.robirda.com
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Signs of a Changing Climate

• Forest Fires
• A warmer climate is
• causing fires to be
• larger and hotter,
• burning more habitat
• more often.

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Signs of a Changing Climate

• Shrinking Glaciers
• Most glaciers are
• shrinking, causing
• lakes to form and
• sea levels to rise.

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Signs of a Changing Climate

• Intense Weather
• Heat waves,
• windstorms, hurricanes,
• floods, and drought
• damage habitat.

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Signs of a Changing Climate

• Melting Ice
• Ice at the earths
• poles is melting.

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What is CLIMATE?

• Climate is the average weather in
• a place over many years.
• Weather can change in just a few minutes, but
  climate takes years to change.

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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• A long, long time ago, volcanoes
• spewed steam, ammonia,
• methane, and CARBON DIOXIDE.

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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• The CARBON in Carbon Dioxide became part of the
  rocks,
• swamps, and atmosphere over 4 million years ago.

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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• Today, CARBON is found in lots of things
• Diamonds - the hardest
• substance on earth
• Pencils - the soft, dark center,
• also known as graphite

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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• CARBON is still a part of our atmosphere - in
  the form of CARBON DIOXIDE.

Carbon Dioxide Molecule
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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• Water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and CARBON
  DIOXIDE are a group of molecules known as
• Greenhouse Gases.

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Why is Climate Changing? The Carbon Timeline

• Greenhouse gases absorb the suns heat,
• making Earth warm enough for life. But
• too many greenhouse gases can cause
• Earths temperature to rise!

Over the last 50 years, the earths temperature
has risen an estimated 1oF (0.6oC).
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Why is Climate Changing?

• Almost everything we do emits carbon. As human
  activities
• increase, the more carbon and other greenhouse
  gase we
• add to the atmosphere.warming our climate.

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Birds in a Changing Climate Migration

• Climate change can affect migration.
• Timing of departure
• Timing of arrival

Barn Swallows are arriving on breeding grounds as
many as 14 days early.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Range

• As temperatures warm, some
• migratory birds are nesting as
• many as 60 miles (100 km)
• farther north today.

Yellow Warbler at nest.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Range

• Some birds may have a more
• restricted range.

In parts of southern Canada, Gray Jay populations
have declined as much as 60. Scientists
suspect that this species food caches are
rotting, and adults dont have enough food to
feed their young.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Food

• Temperatures arent just warming on
• land. Oceans are warming too,
• affecting the foods that seabirds eat.

Cassins Auklets abandoned their eggs for the
first time in 30 years. The birds may not have
had sufficient food, because of warming ocean
temperatures and changes in currents.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Food

• On land, plants and insects
• are flowering and hatching
• earlier.
• Scientists worry that
• migratory birds may arrive
• too late, missing important
• food resources.

Blackpoll Warblers eats mosquitoes, ants, aphids,
spiders, and beetles.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat

• Birds depend on their habitats to survive. A
  changing climate
• is already affecting habitats.
• Some habitats are more vulnerable than others.

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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat Prairie
Pothole

• The Prairie Pothole Region is called a
• duck factory because it is used by
• thousands of nesting ducks.

Droughts and warmer, drier weather could cause
much of this wetland to disappear through
evaporation.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat Boreal
Forest

• The Boreal Forest is the worlds largest forest
  habitat,
• covering 15 of the Earths land surface below
  the Arctic
• Circle in Alaska, Canada, Siberia, and Europe.

Logging and other types of development release
carbon stored in trees and soil, making climate
change worse.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat Mangrove
Forests

• Mangroves are known as the rainforests of the
  sea,
• because of the diverse wildlife that use them.

Rising sea levels, floods, and more intense
hurricanes will have an affect on mangrove
survival.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat Oceans

• Oceans cover 71 of the Earth,
• forming the largest habitat.

Oceans are warming and becoming more acidic,
affecting the delicate balance of marine plants
and animals.
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Birds in a Changing Climate Habitat The Sahel

• The Sahel is a scrubby
• zone located just south of
• The Sahara, the worlds
• largest hot desert.

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Whats Your Carbon Footprint?

• A Carbon Footprint is the amount of carbon
  dioxide a
• person contributes to the atmosphere.

The Average CO2 produced by the average person
per year. United States 44,000
pounds Canada 30,800 pounds United
Kingdom 21,560 pounds Mexico 9,240
pounds Kenya 570 pounds
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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint 4 Simple Ways

• 1. Switch from standard light bulbs to compact
  fluorescent bulbs.

Compact fluorescent bulbs will lower your energy
bill and emit one third the carbon.
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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

• 2. Carpool, take
• The bus, walk, or
• ride your bike.

Every mile you drive emits 1 pound of carbon.
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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

• Turn off the T.V. and even better, unplug it!
  Electronics
• still draw power when they are plugged in.

How much carbon do you emit watching t.v.? Do
the math! Number of hours per week x 33 pounds
of carbon.
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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

• 4. Recycle, compost, and buy products with less
  packaging.

Each pound of solid waste contributes 1.5 pounds
of greenhouse gases.
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Get Involved!

• Its for the Birds!

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Add Your Information!
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