| 6 Vacation Spots Threatened by Global Warming |
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| Tuesday, 01 July 2008 | |||||
 1. Glacier National Park, MontanaOne concern is a devastating increase in forest fires. Glacier National Park is home to more than 700 miles of hiking trails, 762 lakes and the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road, which offers a scenic drive over the Continental Divide. 2. Mount Kilimanjaro, TanzaniaOne of the biggest draws in Africa is its highest peak, the famous snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro. Located in Tanzania, the dormant volcano allows hikers to trek through what feels like four seasons in one day before taking in the stunning view of the surrounding plains from the summit. If you want to see the storied snowy peak, you had better go before it melts. Since 1912, 82% of the ice fields have disappeared. And they could all be gone between 2015 and 2020 if the ice continues to recede at its current pace, according to Lonnie Thompson, professor of geological sciences at Ohio State University. 3. Churchill, Manitoba, CanadaThe tiny Canadian town of Churchill is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World. That's because in the autumn more than 900 descend upon its Hudson Bay shore waiting for the water to freeze over. Visitors can get up close and personal with the bears from the safety of guided tundra buggies or modified buses. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, two-thirds of the entire polar bear population could disappear in 50 years if the Arctic sea ice continues to melt at its current pace. Churchill's furry residents are already showing signs of environmental stress. Global warming is causing the Hudson Bay ice to break up three weeks earlier and freeze over two weeks later than it did 20 years ago. This shortens the animals' seal-hunting season and leaves them less nourished during the summer months. 4. Lake Mead, NevadaLake Mead is home to both stunning natural beauty and a man-made wonder, The Hoover Dam. Although it serves as a reservoir for parts of California and Nevada, this national park is also a respite from the desert heat and visitors enjoy boating, hiking, fishing and camping. But Lake Mead's days may be numbered. Its water level is at its lowest in 40 years. While variation in elevation is normal, some scientists believe global warming is causing less snow and seasonal melting, which decreases water runoff into the lake. Indeed, there's a 50% chance Lake Mead will be dry by 2021 if the climate changes as expected and future water usage isn't curtailed, says a study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. 5. MauritiusLocated just east of Madagascar, Mauritius is a quiet tropical destination known for its impressive scuba diving. The island is ringed by a coral reef that managed to escape the worst of the 1998 heat wave that killed most of the corals in the Indian Ocean. But what wasn't destroyed by nature will likely get pummeled by man, says Thomas Goreau, president of the nonprofit Global Coral Reef Alliance. As the government shifts its economy away from sugar cane and toward tourism, increased sewage and sediment is already choking the coral. And while Mauritius has so far been lucky to avoid the worst of global warming, another hot year could finish off its reef entirely, says Goreau. 6. The MaldivesAnother tropical paradise with a ticking clock is The Maldives, a tiny nation of roughly 1,200 coral islands southwest of Sri Lanka. Lonely Planet says this pricey destination could be the first to go on the global warming victim list. Indeed, the government of the Republic of Maldives says extreme weather is more frequent and destructive than in the past. And as climate change continues to push sea levels higher, the government worries that its land could become submerged. Its islands are just a few feet above sea level and during the 2004 tsunami only nine of the 200 inhabited islands didn't flood. Source: Smart Money Global Warming Life is in no way affiliated with 'Smart Money' and holds no rights to their content.
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Comments (1)
Jay Charavda
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Here is something interesting about the rising ocean water, specially how much the ocean is rising every century. I recently visited Chennai, India. I had a chance to take a boat ride in the ocean. It was a little weird but interesting part was that the boat rider would take us from the coast to the submerged temple about 2 KM away. We (my colleague and I) took the tour. On the returned, I asked the guide: How old is the temple? He said, the temple was built in 7th century. It was built near the coast at the time. How deep is the the temple? He replied, 25 feet. So in 1300 years, the water has risen 25 feet at the coast of Chennai, India. We have been trying to find how much the ocean is rising every century. Well this may highlight some fact about it! Please see some photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/charavda/SubmergedTemple |
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