Why should I care, you ask? Our planet is an interconnected system, and the vanishing ice is already having ripple effects down south. Among them: faster global warming, rising sea levels, and possibly more extreme natural disasters.
Plus, the polar bears will suffer. So here are some ways that the vanishing Arctic ice is affecting the rest of the world — you included. That allows us to keep cool.
But if those white spots disappear, the darker ocean and land will absorb 90 percent of that heat, accelerating global warming. That, in and of itself, can lead to even more problems. Sea ice floats, so when it melts, it does not raise sea levels. But warmer temperatures in the Arctic are causing another type of ice to disappear as well: land-based ice in Greenland. If that ice melts, it causes sea levels to go up. Scientists estimate that if the entire Greenland ice sheet — which is roughly three times the size of Texas — melted, sea levels would soar 20 feet.
The seas are already rising , and so far, Greenland has contributed to only 4 to 5 percent of that rise, says Francis. But melt rates are accelerating, and that poses a serious threat to anyone living on the coast. Residents in Florida, New Jersey, and Maryland are already experiencing more flooding. The ice protects coastal towns from big waves, Rigor says.
Just this winter, as ice in the Bering Sea shrunk to record levels , huge waves pummeled the town of Diomede, engulfing homes. Erosion is also forcing the plus residents of Newtok, Alaska, to relocate. Earlier this year, for instance, research showed that when the Arctic is unusually warm, extreme winter weather is two to four times more likely in the eastern US.
But as the vanishing ice is causing the Arctic to warm twice as fast as the rest of the world, that temperature difference is diminishing. It is going to be exposed, and we don't know what's going to happen. It may actually change how long a day is. The ice sheets are close to the axis of rotation of the Earth — they are around the poles. You melt this ice, and where this water will go is around the Earth, so further away from the axis of rotation.
So the Earth is going to spin at a slower rate. Inverse asked a series of experts about five different scenarios for our planet by Read the rest: a supervolcano explodes , an asteroid impact , a pandemic wipes out 10 percent of humanity , and humans stop global warming.
Future Earth What would happen if the polar ice caps melted? Maddie Bender. Related Tags Climate Crisis. Mind and Body. One of the crucial tweaks the researchers made was to accurately represent the small, glistening ponds of water that form on top of ice as the hot sun melts it.
Water is darker than bright, reflective ice, and it absorbs that solar heat more readily. So once the ponds form, they accelerate the melting. Ponds like these have been observed recently to speed up melting on land-based ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
In the Arctic during the Last Interglacial, say Guarino and her colleagues, they did the same thing. With the melt ponds and some other added physics, the model generates an Arctic entirely without summer ice.
And without the cooling effect of summer sea ice, the Arctic in the model is as warm as the data suggest the Arctic really was during the Last Interglacial.
When the model was run forward in time, it predicted that Arctic sea ice would all but disappear by That is sooner than many forecasts, within the bounds of others—but the forecast of an early ice loss now seems more realistic. That is in no way a reason to give up on efforts to stop future warming, she says. Alaska Natives have been doing that for some time.
Lost sea ice is already affecting the timing, abundance, or presence of the fish, seals, or whales they hunt for and rely on for food. For Aarons, the reality hit long ago, and the question now is about the future.
All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets. India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big.
Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.
Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.
0コメント