A recent documentary on TV on the melting speed of Antarctica really got me freaking out if the truth be told!
The ice in Antarctica is melting six times faster than it did 40 years ago did you know?
And this dramatic acceleration of the ice loss, say researchers, is a clear indication of human-caused climate change.
Ice scientist at the University of California Irvine Eric Rignot says the melting ice has caused global sea levels to rise more than half an inch since 1979. While that may not sound like much, the amount is alarming to climate scientists.
Sadly they say it’s a preview of things to come...
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. As the Antarctic ice sheet continues to melt away, we expect multi-metre sea level rise from Antarctica in the coming centuries,” says Prof Rignot.
In this century alone, apparently a 10-foot rise is possible.
Alarmingly, since 2009, almost 278 billion tons of ice has melted away from Antarctica per year.
In the 1980s, it was losing “only” 44bn tons a year.
What are we doing to our world? Because in essence Antarctica is melting away!
Prof Rignot said that as climate warming and ozone depletion continue to send more ocean heat toward the Antarctic, the continent’s melting ice will contribute to sea-level rise for “decades to come.”
The solution?
Stop the burning of fossil fuels, which are releasing greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.
“All of these data suggest we need to get cracking and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We don’t want to lose that sea ice,” say researchers.
The Antarctic ice sheet alone has the potential to contribute more than a metre to global sea level rise by 2100 in the high-emissions scenario.
We really are damaging our world.
If it’s not natural disasters it’s us causing the disaster! Plastic in oceans, smog in the air, pollution here and there, have we stopped respecting our environment or is there still hope?
Reem Antoon is a former GDN news editor. She can be reached on: clanmun4@gmail.com