How do melting Arctic ice and Antarctic glaciers affect weather patterns and human activities on Earth differently? Explain. (250 Words)
Approach
- Begin your response by describing the reasons of Arctic sea ice melting and Antarctic glacier melting.
- Discuss how glacier melting influences weather patterns and human activity on Earth.
- Appropriately conclude
Introduction
Many glaciers all across the world are fast melting. This phenomenon is caused by human actions. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, in particular, have elevated temperatures, even more near the poles, and as a result, glaciers are fast melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.
When it comes to sea ice, 95 percent of the Arctic’s oldest and thickest ice has already melted.
Scientists predict that if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the Arctic might be ice-free in the summer by 2040, as ocean and air temperatures continue to rise fast.
Body
The Effects of Arctic Ice Melting
Has an impact on sea level and salinity:
Sea levels, salinity levels, and current and precipitation patterns will all be affected by ice loss and warming waters.
Coastal Communities are at Risk:
Since 1900, the global average sea level has risen by around 7-8 inches, and the situation is deteriorating.
Rising sea levels put coastal towns and tiny island nations at risk by intensifying coastal flooding and storm surge.
Food Safety:
Polar vortexes intensify heat waves, and the unpredictability of weather induced by ice loss is already wreaking havoc on crops critical to global food systems.
Methane Store Depletion:
Permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in the Arctic region accumulates significant volumes of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
The faster the arctic ice melts, the faster permafrost melts. This will set off a vicious cycle that could lead to a climatic disaster.
Threat to Biodiversity:
The melting of Arctic ice threatens the region’s robust biodiversity, particularly in the mid-latitudes.
The Effects of Antarctic Glacier Melting
Increasing Sea Level:
The Antarctic ice sheets are the most significant contributors to global sea-level increase.
Coastal erosion has risen as a result of rising sea levels.
Changes in the climate:
The warming of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has the potential to exacerbate the impacts of global warming.
Storm surges grow more common as sea levels rise, with warm air and ocean temperatures combining to increase the frequency of coastal storms.
Species extinction
Species are also endangered. Many land and sea organisms rely on glaciers as natural habitats, and as they disappear, so does the diverse ecosystem they support.
Affecting Ocean Currents: As Antarctic glaciers melt, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation slows, disrupting the Gulf Stream.
It would also have an effect on west wind drift.
Conclusion
All of this has an obvious remedy. It is in humanity’s best interests to treat Arctic melting and glaciers as a serious global concern and to take appropriate action. Climate change mitigation policies must be strictly enforced. Glaciers can still be spared if CO2 emissions are decreased over the next ten years. More specific measures may be required as well.
