Climate change: Antarctic sea ice at record low levels
Due to the changing climate, many countries around the world are facing the brunt of the weather. Where some places are facing flood, others are experiencing drought. Meanwhile, a worrying report has come to the fore. It is being said that this year the record breaking ice has melted in Antarctica.
Significantly, every year during the summer, the sea ice of Antarctica melts at the end of February. Then it freezes back in winter, but this year scientists have got to see something different. Sea ice is not even near the expected level.
Change after 45 years
A lot of change has been seen here in the last 45 years. This is the first time in many years that sea ice is at such a low level. In the recent past, the rate of its subsidence has reached a record level. According to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), snow is about 1.6 million square kilometers (0.6 million sq mi) less in 2022 than last winter’s record low.
Scientists have warned that this startling decline is a sign that the climate crisis may be affecting this icy polar region more seriously. Global warming is the biggest reason for this.
Snow melted over such a large area
In mid-July this year, Antarctica’s sea ice was 2.6 million square kilometers (1 million square miles) less than the 1981-2010 average. This is an area roughly as large as Argentina or the combined territories of Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.
This incident has been described by some scientists as extraordinary. They said that such an incident is seen after millions of years. Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that this is not a simple phenomenon. The weather is constantly changing. Scientists are now trying to find out why this is happening.
Due to increasing climate crisis in Antarctica, the sea ice is continuously melting. Sea ice in Antarctica has plummeted from record highs to record lows over the past few decades, making it difficult for scientists to understand how it is responding to global warming.
