Review Of The Geographical Changes Around The World In The Past Decade

The Earth has seen some major changes in its landscape over the past decade{NOTE TO DEVELOPER: Kindly link “major changes in its landscape over the past decade” to article “#12: How Climate Change And Global Warming Is Reshaping Our Landscapes”}, some are man-made, and others are due to natural disasters and climate change.

Here we will review some of the geographical changes around the world in the past decade.

• In the summer of 2007, the Arctic ice cap was the smallest it has ever been and has continued to stay smaller than before. Many scientists believe that the region will have ice-free summers by 2050.
• Shanghai, China, is not only one of the fastest growing cities in the world, but it is also the most populated cities. As the city continues to expand, the landscape in the area has dramatically changed with greenery being replaced by skyscrapers.
• Australia has been facing a major drought problem for the past decade. Dubbed ‘The Big Dry’, it has affected everything from farming to rivers. The River Murray has lost so much water that it no longer flows into the ocean.

  

• As the winters get shorter and shorter, the vegetation cycle on the Rocky Mountains has changed, causing a decline in wildflowers and increase in sagebrush.
• The area around Mount St. Helen’s in Washington state has been slowly recovering ever since the devastating eruption of 1980. The barren rocky land that was left after the eruption has since been taken over by greenery.
• Due to a number of factors, including a long drought and human demands, the Upper Colorado Basin has seen a dramatic drop in water levels, changing the surrounding landscape.
• Orlando, Florida, is a great example of how man can change the landscape of a region. This area was mostly swampland and now it is the most visited destination in the United States. Orlando is now home to a number of amusement parks and sees over 60 million tourists a year.