A Global Warning
Scientist Says Global Warming Intensifies Storms, Raise Sea Levels
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Play CBS Video Video Global Warning The North Pole has been frozen for 100,000 years. But according to scientists, by the end of this century that won't be true. One expert tells Scott Pelley it's a "global warning" on global warming.
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Video Sights 'N Sounds Of The Arctic See some of the sights and sounds of the arctic that the "60 Minutes" crew came across while traveling to Greenland and Hudson Bay, Canada.
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Video Pelley's Notebook Only On The Web: "60 Minutes'" Scott Pelley discusses his report on global warming and what experts expect greenhouse gases will do in the future.
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Photo Essay Journey To The Arctic A behind-the-scenes look at the 60 Minutes team's trip to Iceland, Greenland and Canada.
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Interactive Eye On The Environment Find out how global warming, air pollution and alternative forms of energy impact our world.
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Interactive Global Warming The greenhouse effect, a look at the Kyoto Protocol and a history of the Earth's climate.
Corell points to floods in the U.S., heat waves in Europe; and 60 Minutes wanted to know about the catastrophic 2005 hurricane season.
"The one thing I think we can say with a fairly high degree of confidence is the severity of the storms, how strong the storms, these cyclonic events like hurricanes and cyclones in the Pacific, are going to get — they're gonna be more severe. Now one thing that is in doubt is whether there'll be more of them," Corell explains.
"The oceans of the Northern Hemisphere are the warmest they've been on record. When they get up in that temperature, they spin off hurricanes. Well, if it goes up another degree, it's gonna spawn these with more intensity," Corell says.
The name "arctic" comes from ancient Greek meaning "Land of the Great Bear."
But the warming climate is threatening this icon of the arctic, the polar bear. Flying above the sub-arctic region of Hudson Bay, Canadian scientist Nick Lunn is hunting polar bears in a 30-year study that tracks their health. It's the job of his assistant Evan Richardson to take them down with a tranquilizer dart.
Once tranquilized, Lunn carefully checks the bear with a pole, without getting too close.
The polar bear is the largest predator on land. Native people in the region say he'll even hunt humans, but not on the day Pelley joined Lunn: with the tranquilizer, the bear was awake but immobile.
The scientists knew this bear by his tattoo. His history is written chapter and verse in the "bear bible."
"This is the record book of all the bears that have been handled by us or Manitoba Conservation," Lunn explains.
The study began at the Wapusk National Park, because the bear population was thought to be the healthiest in the world.
Lunn's annual checkup records changes in fat, dimensions and an inventory of weapons. The polar bear uses its teeth to hunt primarily one thing — seals. That's where arctic warming comes in.
By Bill Owens ©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
