Infographic: environmental change – snow, ice, and precipitation - temperature impacts

An infographic shows simplified impacts of the rise in temperature on environment.

In the upper left corner of the infographic the capture reads "Climate change impacts land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems in complex and interconnected ways." Below there is an image symbolizing sky with a sun shining. In the centre of the sky there is an image of a thermometer with an arrow beside it symbolizing rise in temperature. From the image of clouds on the sky the rain is falling on the herd of migrating caribou below. The capture reads "More rain-on-snow events". An arrow pointing from the image of a thermometer to an image of the cloud suggests that more rain is caused by a general rise in temperatures.

On the right the arrow from the image of the sun points downward and reflect from the surface of the images of tundra and ice pointing upwards. The capture beside reads "Areas without snow absorbing more heat".

Below the image of the sky there are images symbolizing the tundra, ice floe and the ocean. On the tundra in the center of the image there are images of houses, people, snowmobiles, and fishing racks, symbolizing an Inuit village. Captures on the image of the tundra read "More permafrost thaw" and" More landslides in steep slope areas" Number of arrows symbolising dispersing sun rays and warming temperature point in every direction. From the image of an esker rivers flows towards the ocean. Captures nearby read "More sediment entering streams" and "Changes in timing and amount of river flow". Series of arrows originating from the image of a snow-covered tundra point downward towards the ocean symbolizing the flow of water from the melting snow. Arrows originating from the image of a thermometer point downward towards the images of plants on the tundra which are accompanied by captures reading "More plant growth is possible" and "Snow melting earlier". On the image of the icefloe there are images of cracks in the ice and capture" More sea ice loss ". An arrow points from the image of the ice towards the image of the ocean and the capture reads "More freshwater remaining at ocean surface". An arrow originating from this capture point towards another capture which reads "Less nutrients brought up from deeper waters". Directly below the images of rivers flowing into the ocean, the ocean appears muddy and the capture reads "More sediment from erosion". Arrows pointing into opposing direction from the image of the thermometer and the image of the ocean suggesting interconnectivity between rising temperatures and "Sub-sea sediments release methane" and "Changes to ocean currents" and "Increase in surface water acidity". Images of fish and research ship appear on the ocean. Below there are four textboxes explaining the environmental impacts of rising temperatures.

Freshwater-Increased runoff changes river flow and reduces water quality. Rain-on-snow events make it harder for animals to find food or to stay warm.

Land-Warmer temperatures and longer snow-free periods destabilize permafrost and extend plant growing seasons.

Ocean and sea ice- Changes in water quality and the way waters mix impact the ocean life that make up the base of the marine food web. Sea ice loss also affects ocean mixing in addition to loss of habitat.

Climate change feedbacks-Warming soils, reduced snow cover, and changes to ocean currents can have a feedback effect lead to even more warming.