Melting of Glaciers

The Arctic and Antarctic regions define the North and South poles of earth respectively. The Arctic is a sea region surrounded by land and contains a thin layer of sea ice while Antarctica is a continent covered by a thick layer of glacial ice. Antarctica covers 8.3% of the Earth’s land surface and constitutes more than 90% of the Earth’s total glacial ice. In recent years, it has been witnessed that glacier ice is melting rapidly. Climate change caused by rapid industrialization and excess use of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal has increased the global temperature which has a direct impact on the melting of polar ice. It poses serious threats to the global economy and human habitat and leads to rising sea water-level. Also impacts the global heat balance, causing changes in the air circulation pattern and other weather phenomena, affecting millions of people and rendering them homeless. According to an estimate by WWF, Arctic sea ice is shrinking by 3% per decade and if this trend continues then the Arctic Ocean could become ice-free by 2050. Even if we significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the coming years, more than 1/3rd of the world’s remaining glaciers will melt before the twenty-second century.  

Basic Causes for the Melting of Ice Glaciers:

A. Overuse of Fossil fuels:

With the advent of the industrial revolution, the use of fossil fuels has increased manyfold. When fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases into the air. These gases trap the heat in the atmosphere and lead to global warming. An average increase of 1.5°C  globally would have serious implications on the glaciers of the polar region.

B. Deforestation:  

Trees are nature’s carbon sink. They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen, thus helping in maintaining the ecosystem balance. But when we cut the trees they release the stored carbon and contribute to global warming which leads to the melting of ice.

C. Oil and Gas Drilling:

During the extraction process of oil and gas, a huge amount of Methane gas is released. Methane has 25 times more potential for global warming compared to carbon dioxide.  

D. Ice-Breaking Ships:  

To clear the path for navigation, ice-breaking ships are used in the Arctic Ocean. These ships break the sea ice and leave behind open water which has lesser ability to reflect back sun rays compared to ice. Thus, water absorbs more heat and leads to the melting of ice.

Effect of Arctic Ice melting on Weather Patterns and Human Activities:

A. Weak Polar Jet Stream:

The temperature of the Arctic Ocean is increasing at a much faster rate than the rest of the world and contributes around 30-50% of global heating. The warming of Arctic ice affects the polar jet stream (it is upper atmosphere circulation that drives the weather patterns across the northern hemisphere) in the northern hemisphere. As the Arctic temperature rises it reduces the temperature difference between tropic and polar regions and results in a weaker atmospheric pressure gradient which leads to the weakening of the polar jet stream. This weakened polar jet stream meanders to the south and brings extreme weather events in Russia, Europe, and North America.

B. Leads to Reduction of Albedo and Increase in Temperature:  

The Arctic is the storehouse of the world’s ice. Since it is covered with ice that has a high albedo (measure the amount of sunlight reflected by a surface back to the atmosphere). Ice has the highest albedo and reflects more than 80 per cent of heat back into space. These areas help in balancing out other parts of the world that absorb heat. The melting of ice exposes the dark ocean beneath the Arctic ocean, which absorbs more heat compared to ice and creates a feedback loop that leads to the warming of this area at a much faster rate.    

C. Loss of Biodiversity:

The Arctic region is home to many diverse animal species. Their dwellings are now under threat as the polar ice melts. Animals that rely on the ice also serve an important function for humans. The walrus and seals rely on arctic sea ice to reproduce. These ice sheets are used by polar bears for hunting and resting. Other animals use the ice for protection, moulting, and reproducing. Their life depends on the Arctic ice and they will lose a substantial portion of their colony if there is no ice.

Effect of Antarctic Ice melting on Weather Patterns and Human Activities:

A. Leads to Rising in Sea level:

Antarctica Contains 90% of Earth’s glacier ice and when glacial ice melts it increases the sea level, unlike arctic ice (sea ice) which doesn’t increase the sea level on melting. According to an estimate, if all the ice of Antarctica melts it would raise the sea level by 57.4 m. Since 1900, the average global sea level has risen by 6- 7 inches and it’s increasing at a much faster rate than ever before. This has a disastrous impact on the coastal areas and low-lying cities near the coastal, displacing thousands of people, and destroying millions of acres of land. According to an estimate, if the average global temperature increases to 2°C, by 2050 then more than 570 cities and 800 million people will face the wrath of rising sea levels.

B. Leads to an Extreme Weather event in the Pacific Ocean:

Melting of sea ice in Antarctica is likely to increase ocean surface temperatures, which will bring more rain to the equatorial Pacific region, and possibly cause El Nino-like impact.

C. Disruption in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC):

Warm air is transported from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe via the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Melting of Antarctica ice causes a slowdown in AMOC, disturbing the Gulf Stream and contributing to colder winters and hotter summers in the North Atlantic. Changing water temperatures and nutrient flows are also wreaking havoc on commercial fisheries such as cod. Further weakening of AMOC will cause climate disruptions that will reverberate over the globe, trapping more heat in some areas while bringing cold temperatures to others.

Some of the Common Effects in the Arctic and Antarctic Region:

A. Affects the Ocean Current Circulation:

Oceanic current helps in maintaining the heat balance by transporting heat from the equator to the poles. Warm water from the equator moves northward and cools down upon reaching the poles. As it cools down its density increases and tends to sink. This sinking water moves toward the equator to complete the circulation. The melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice leads to changes in the pattern of ocean currents. As the polar temperature increases, it weakens the oceanic current flow and the melting of ice causes freshwater to be added to the polar region which reduces the density of the seawater in this area. This less dense water will not be able to sink and disrupts the oceanic current pattern.  

B. Conflict Between Man and Wild Animals:

Many living organisms like polar bears, penguins, walruses, arctic foxes, snowy owls, and reindeer depend on glaciers for their existence. With the rapid melting of sea ice and increase in temperature in polar regions, these animals are in danger of extinction. As the sea ice habitats are disappearing, these animals move to Arctic communities for their refuge due to which conflict between man and wild animals is increasing.

C. Crop Damage and Food Crises:

Melting of glacial ice leads to the weakening of the polar vortex and an increase in heatwaves causing significant damage to crops all over the world. Frequent loss of food crops will only lead to food crises around the world and mainly affect the poor section of society.

D. Disruption in Human Habitats:

Sea level rise will also increase nuisance floods, saltwater intrusion, larger storm surges during storms, and human displacement from their habitats. These types of disruptions are already happening all over the world, damaging homes and livelihoods and killing thousands of people. However, as the world warms, millions more individuals will be exposed to higher threats.

E. Loss of Fishing Grounds:

Fishing grounds across the world getting impacted by the melting of ice and the increase in water temperature. For example, the Grand bank of Newfoundland formed by the mixing of the warm gulf streams and cold Labrador currents will be destroyed by the warming of polar water.

Conclusion:

The Arctic and Antarctic are the most sensitive regions to climate change and are a vital part of Earth’s ecosystem. Nations around the world have come forward to fight against climate change and pledge to restrict the average global temperature to 1.5°C by 2050. Every individual should take action to make positive changes to reduce the impact of global warming. So that the glaciers can be preserved in their natural form and the environmental balance can be maintained for ages.