Video Transcript
Why could the melting of polar ice
cause the extinction of polar bears and certain species of seals? (A) The size of their habitats will
increase. (B) There will be more food for
polar animals. (C) New predators will enter the
food chain. (D) The salinity of polar sea water
will increase. (E) The coastal areas where they
survive will disappear.
Scientists have observed rising
global temperatures in Earth’s near-surface air over the last 100 years or so. The rise in global average
temperatures correlates with a rise in the percentage of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse
gas. And there is a link between rising
carbon dioxide levels and the global warming that has been observed. The effects of global warming
include glaciers and polar ice melting.
Polar ice caps are dome-shaped
sheets of ice found near the North and South Poles. At the North Pole, as polar ice
melts, we lose Arctic Sea ice. This means that the size of the
habitat that animals like polar bears rely on is reduced. Polar bear numbers will decrease as
the size of their habitat decreases. This is because the coastal areas
where they survive will disappear. Other species like seals will also
disappear too, as they also rely on this habitat.
The correct answer to the question
“Why could the melting of polar ice cause the extinction of polar bears and certain
species of seals?” is “the coastal areas where they survive will disappear.”
