Melting of Ice Caps Due to Global Warming
How is Global Warming Responsible for Affecting Glaciers?
For centuries global warming is the most deadly issue we have ever debated. However, in the few decades, the pattern of glacial mountains and sea ice sheets are started melting that can not be reverted. Raised voices were ignored in the past, but now the effects of the melting of ice due to global warming forces us to think about this topic deeply.
Glaciers and snow present in all places are melting and becoming invisible. Climatic factors such as wind movement, temperature, and precipitation significantly impact the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps.
The rate of ablation and glacial mass accumulation get affected by the increase in global temperature, which is being observed through remote sensing and satellite imaging.
People have queries regarding the impact of melting of ice due to global warming, that what’s wrong with the melting? After melting, we can get a huge source of potable water, isn’t it?
No; This will not take part in the welfare of human beings, but it’s a path towards the ending of our living place – earth.
The melted ice from oceans, mountains, and other collected masses will mix up with other water bodies resulting in accelerated flooding situations, a rise in sea levels. Further, it helps to increase the consequences of climate change.
Therefore, it is a situation that should not be neglected. Furthermore, we must raise awareness regarding the negative impact of global warming on glaciers. And that’s why we are here today. Let’s move a step forward!
Table of Contents
What Do You Mean by Global Warming?
Well, it’s obvious to know what global warming is?. However, we must grasp the current scenario of global warming for debating on this topic more logically.
Global warming is the increase in the atmospheric temperature, which causes several other situations, including the melting of glaciers.
Another term Climate change you might have heard before, however, there are very few differences between them, and thus, these are used interchangeably.
So, let’s understand what’s wrong with our global temperature.
Basing on a report, the average global temperature rise is about 1.14 degrees Celsius or 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit since the end of the 19th century.
Now you might be thinking it’s too low; how can this impact our climate to change dramatically?
But, it can cause severe and irreversible damage to the earth that we can’t live here anymore. And one of the most deadly results is the melting of ice due to global warming.
Melting of Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps
Since 1979 sea ice in the Arctic hemisphere has been diminishing at a rate of about 13% per 10 years.
According to a report from NASA, polar ice sheets have been losing their deposits since 2002. And the rate of variation in mass in Antarctica is 148 billion metric tonnes, while in Greenland, the rate of decrease is 279 billion metric tonnes since 2002.
If it continues, we will face the worst disasters ever happened on the earth.
It is not a normal condition that can be ignored, but it’s all because of unprotected human activities. That’s the reason we must debate on the primary cause of the melting of glaciers, i.e., global warming.
How is Global Warming Affecting Glaciers?
From all the evidence, it is clear that global warming has effects on the melting of ice. But how? The biggest question arises. Let’s clarify that.
Well, global warming is influencing our glaciers and polar ice caps. But, the reverse is also true, i.e., the melting of ice sheets causes global warming. This cycle is affecting each other.
Due to anthropogenic activities like deforestation, mining, drilling, Combustion of fossil fuels, increased agricultural practice, and pollution, the concentration of greenhouse gases, majorly, CO2 is rising.
This carbon dioxide has a massive contribution to raising the average global temperature, causing climate change. Climate change leads to a reduced period of precipitation, increasing the heat waves in the atmosphere. And dry air has more capacity to hold moisture.
And the melting of ice begins after the average global temperature begins to rise than usual.
Once the temperature was raised worldwide, the snow deposits and sea ice started melting. We already know white colour helps us from the harmful rays of the sun by reflecting them; This is absolute in the case of glaciers as well.
The white protective glaciers and snow mountains increase the albedo and help our earth in cooling and cancelling the global warming effects.
But, as the rate of climate change increased, the rate of precipitation also decreased. Fewer deposits cause the melting of ice sheets, shelves, and icebergs faster.
As a result, it ended up exposing the dark soil and ocean surfaces. This exposure causes more absorption of thermal energy from the sun, and rapid temperature rise takes place.
Ocean warming causes more and more melting, and in this way, the rate is increasing, vanishing ice from all possible ways.
By the melting of sea ice and snow deposits, not only are we losing our largest freshwater deposits, but attracting natural disasters like floods, drought, cyclones, and other extreme weather after the significant rise in sea levels.
Some portions of the earth are already facing these dramatic effects, and once all of our assumptions and fears become a reality, it cannot be a habitat for many species of organisms.
Conclusion
“Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it when you knew the glaciers were melting.” This is a quote on the future of glaciers from an American actor Martin Sheen and it seems real.
Now we have time to take action for protecting our valuable ice sheets from melting due to global warming.
Once these will vanish, we can’t cancel the consequences. So, let’s assemble and be aware of how much CO2 we are contributing to global warming.
So, this is all about glaciers and icebergs melting due to global warming. Comment down below if you have a better idea about saving our natural refrigerator of earth.