The effects of global warming on the changes of geological processes

Global warming has been a problem for quite a long time now. It has affected anything and everything; humans, animals, plants, weather, and... Geological processes? Yes, even that. These are some of the reasons why global warming affects the geologic processes.

1.) GLOBAL WARMING INCREASES THE PACE OF WEATHERING.

Since global warming causes heavier rains and hotter weather, it increases the pace of weathering — both mechanical and chemical, because this process depends on the weather and temperature. Mechanical weathering occurs fastest in areas with temperature changes, while chemical weathering happens more rapidly in warm, humid climates. Both of these factors in temperature are given by global warming.

1.1) RAPID TEMPERATURE CHANGES.

Changes in temperature is one of the causes of global warming. Because of the sudden temperature changes, the basic structure of the rocks will weaken, resulting to mechanical weathering. The high temperature and the greater rainfall due to global warming will also speed up the chemical weathering.

1.2) ANIMALS TEND TO DIG HOLES DURING HOT OR RAINY DAYS.

Due to global warming, the weather had been very hot, or very rainy. Most animals tend to dig holes into the ground during hot days, it's because the temperature underground is usually cooler. During rainy days, burrowing animals dig holes during rainy days to prevent from drowning from the rain water. Whenever animals dig into the ground, the rocks will break and thus, this is a part of mechanical weathering.

1.3) WAVES BECOME STRONGER.

Abrasion is one of the examples of physical weathering. Global warming makes the ocean waves stronger, thus, the rocks will also collide with much force that will cause them to disintegrate due to the strong friction.

2.) GLOBAL WARMING INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF EROSION AND MASS WASTING.

Higher temperatures are worsening many types of disasters, including storms, heat waves, floods, droughts, and many more. Because of this, erosion and mass wasting are more prominent. Because of global warming, glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, and natural disasters are more frequent. Since erosion and mass wasting only happen because of these factors, these processes are also affected.

This brings us to the end of this topic. Can you now imagine how dire our situation is? Global warming is such a grave issue. If we don't fix this issue as soon as possible, we might really be witnesses to how the world ends. We wouldn't want that, right?

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REFERENCES:

Ishii, F. (2022, February 24). The first Angstrom-scale view of weathering. Eos. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://eos.org/research-spotlights/the-first-angstrom-scale-view-of-weathering
Alden, A. (2018, October 1). Weathering: Details of this central geologic process. ThoughtCo. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-weathering-1440860
What causes the Earth's climate to change? British Geological Survey. (2021, June 4). Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/what-causes-the-earths-climate-to-change/#:~:text=The%20movement%20of%20the%20plates,to%20cooler%20regions%20by%20mountains.
The impacts of climate change on geological processes - researchgate. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264397551TheImpactsofClimateChangeonGeologicalProcesses-UndergraduateDissertationtowardsBscGeographyandNatural_Hazards