Fun fact! The moon is already slowly drifting away from our planet [2] So, What would happen if the moon completely disappeared?
I choose this question because I find the moon interesting, I’m really interested in discovering more about how certain objects (example: Planets, Stars, Etc) affect our planet, I choose the moon particularly because it tends to be overshadowed by the sun and not a common thing to write about, It has many unique affects on our planet that we don’t always realize, which is why I want to learn more about it.
What is the moon?
The Moon is the earths only natural satellite, it affects our planets tilt, Wildlife, Climate, Ocean and many other things. Without it these things would change drastically. After doing research, I found 3 main changes that would immediately happen after the moon disappeared.
1. Say goodbye to High tides
The moon is known for having a large influence on our tides, Without the moon the tides in the ocean would shrink by around 70%, this sudden change would destroy many marine ecosystems. Within a couple years the population would decline extremely. [4]
2. Ecosystems Destroyed
Marine life wouldn’t be the only type of animals to decline, many nocturnal animals that rely on moonlight would struggle to survive in a world without a moon. For example, moths rely on the moon as a reference point while flying. (Fun fact: that’s also the reason that there attracted to lamps because the light messes up their flight pattern and they end going towards it) Owls and Lions rely on the moon when hunting, without it they would struggle to find food. [1] This creates an unbalance within ecosystems, which in turn could possibly destroy them.
3. Climate will change
The moon plays a key role in the way that our planet tilts, Without the moon the tilt would change, which would cause our seasons and climates to change. Our planets tilt controls how our seasons are created, even the smallest shift could change the entire climate. [3]
What would happen to humans?
I theorize that due to the change in tides, and the unbalanced ecosystems, food would be harder to produce, mainly because of the decrease in fishing. The change in Climate could also affect production,
I used this video as one of my sources, It gives a good explanation on some of the major changes that would happen if the moon were to disappear.
In conclusion the moon plays a very important role to our planet, without it many things would change including, Tides, Ecosystems and Climate.
Bibliography:
www.popsci.com/what-would-happen-if-moon-suddenly-disappeared/ [1]
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MP920xMC0Q [2]
www.thrillist.com/culture/what-would-happen-if-the-moon-disappeared-effects-of-the-moon-leaving-earth [3]
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/11/what-if-the-moon-disappeared-tomorrow [4]
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Amazing work Tanesha! I really love how you used clear and concise language. I have a question: Out of the three changes you listed, which one do you think would require the most adaptations for humans? I think that the changes to the ecosystems would result in the most problems.
Thanks for you comment! I share your opinion as well, Tides affect marine ecosystems and weather can affect other ecosystems, All the changes come back to ecosystems so it makes sense that that one would result in the most problems and require the most adaptions.
Hi Tanesha very nice presentation and nice background it relate to the topic. If you were scientist how would you find solution to live without the moon?
Thanks for your comment! Because these changes aren’t super extreme, I think we would be able to learn how to adapt in a world without the moon. Some ecosystems would be destroyed but after a while animals would most likely adapt to living in there new ecosystems, Fishing would probably have to be limited because of the decrease in marine life. Humans would also have to adjust based on climate.
would humans be effected in anyway by the absence of the moon?
Thanks for the comment! Yes we would be affected by the absence of the moon, Decrease in tides would lead to a decrease in marine life, which would lead to a decrease in fishing (and food in general) The climate change would also affect humans, We would have to adjust based on how it changes.
Your question is really interesting and extremely important to humans and our future. I like your inclusion of a fun fact that don’t relate too much to the moon, but it does show that humans do have an involvement in influencing nocturnal as much as the moon. If the earth had two moons instead of one how would the planet change?