Rapid melting of ice in the Antarctic seas may cause particularly sharp climate change, raise water levels in the oceans, change the direction of ocean currents and irreversibly destroy aquatic fauna and flora, writes Reuters.
An article published in the scientific journal “Nature” talks about previously unexplored nuances in the impact of global warming on the planet’s coldest continent, which will have an impact on processes around the world. The article says that evidence is emerging of rapid, interconnected changes in the Antarctic environment.
The study collected observational data, ship log information and ice analysis results to record long-term changes in sea ice cover and understand the rapid shrinkage of the ice sheet in recent years.
Scientists, citing the melting of glaciers in the North Pole, have pointed out that the ice cover in Antarctica is much lower than natural variations over previous centuries, and in some respects the melt is much more sudden, unpredictable and potentially irreversible than the melt in the Arctic regions.
The smaller the area covered by snow, the less solar radiation is reflected,
which means that the planet absorbs more heat. As a result, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which disperses heat and nutrients and regulates the climate, is weakening.
The shrinking ice cover also has a strong impact on animals, including emperor penguins, which breed on the ice. Warming of the water surface will further reduce the population of phytoplankton, which is particularly important because it absorbs atmospheric carbon.
The study suggests that reducing carbon emissions would reduce the risk of dramatic changes in Antarctica, but not completely prevent them. Once the Antarctic sea ice melts strongly, it becomes a self-driving process, and even if the climate stabilizes, Antarctic sea ice will disappear in the coming centuries.
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