Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/02/2013 - 10:25

Hi Mr. T,

After learning about the melting of the arctic permafrost and reading some of your journal entries (especially those that had to do with wildlife), I was curious if your team had discovered if the CO2 released when the permafrost melts affects the animals in any way in terms of health? If it has compromised their habitat ? Has it made it harder for some animals, especially herbivores, to find good food? Or, if the animals are somehow able to adapt to these changes in their environment?

-Nicole Phelan

Anonymous

Nicole -
CO2 doesn't affect animals directly - remember that we have CO2 in our lungs all the time, so it's not toxic or anything like that. The important effect is its ability to trap heat and warm the earth. And that, of course, does impact habitat and affect plants and animals. Some will adapt, some might not. In any event, it's causing changes. We'll look at these more closely during the coming school year.
- Mr. T