Jonna Johnson, age 13, of Salt Lake City, for Her question:

Is the Ocean getting warmer?

The Arctic Ocean is certainly warmer than it was some 50 years ago. The island of Spitzbergen, 400 miles north of Norway, now loses much more of its ice and snow during the summer months. Maps of its icy shores made 30 years ago are now out of date. Arctic ports along the Russian shores are now ice‑free for longer periods of the year. In 1959, with the help of a fleet of sturdy ice breakers, it was possible to keep the harbor of Quebec city open throughout the winter for the first time in history.

These items are part of a general change in our world‑wide climate, The world, we are now sure, is getting warmer‑. The change is not dramatic ‑‑‑­and in the temperate zones it is hardly noticeable. But Canadian farmers can grow wheat 50 miles or so farther north. The sandy Sahara is creeping forward over Africa. Many of the great glaciers of the polar regions are slowly shrinking.

This does not mean that every summer is warmer than the preceding summer. Sometimes there are setbacks. But in the main, the trend is towards longer, warmer summers and shorter, warmer winters. Grandpa is right when he says that the winters were colder when he was a boy.

The animals and even the plants have been quick to take advantage of these improving conditions. The turkey buzzard who flew into Andy's column two weeks ago, was known only in the Southland, Now he soars as far north as Massachusetts. The cardinal bird now flashes his red wings as far north as Minnesota and South Dakota. The snowy egret often leaves Florida to enjoy life in the warmer marshes farther north. Many migrating birds go farther north on the tundra to build their nests.

The creatures of the oceans also respond to warmer conditions. The cold‑loving seals

The cold‑loving seals go farther north and schools of cod fish swim up as far as Iceland. Hungry crabs from tropical seas have crept up to prey on the clam beds of New England. For living things tend to push to the very limit off' their range.

Not so long ago, certain northern tundras supported only lichens and mosses. Longer, milder summers have brought gay poppies and other small plants and, for a short time, these once grim lands are now carpeted with wild flowers.

Countless items of this kind taken together prove that the world climate is getting milder. This affects both land and sea. If the trend continues long enough to melt all the polar ice, it is estimated that the ocean letel would rise more than 200 feet. Many of our coastal cities would have to build dykes, or move inland. There are several theories to explain this trend, but no proof. And until we know the reasons, we cannot say whether the trend will continue or reverse itself.