Melting glaciers, Increasing risks

Melting glaciers, Increasing risks

GS-3: Environment Protection

(IAS/UPPCS)

Relevant for Prelims:

Climate change, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Antarctica, Taten Iceberg, Greenland.

Relevant for Mains:

Adverse impacts of climate change in Antarctica, Conclusion.

29/04/2024

Context:

For the last few years, the effects of climate change are being seen all over the world. Recently, a big sign of climate change has been seen in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The heaviest and most severe rainfall has been recorded in the UAE in the last seventy-five years. This rainfall of more than ten inches in 24 hours turned a large area of the desert into a reservoir. The world's busiest Dubai International Airport became a reservoir.

• According to the latest research, due to the effect of climate change, glaciers are breaking in Antarctica, due to increase in temperature the ice is also melting rapidly.

About the iceberg broken from Antarctica:

• According to research, this iceberg named Taten separated from Antarctica in the year 1986 and is currently flowing on the sea surface.
• Weight: According to satellite images, this iceberg weighing approximately one lakh crore tonnes is currently moving towards the northern tip of Antarctica due to strong winds and water currents.
• Area: This iceberg is spread over approximately four thousand square km, in size it is about six times larger than the area of Mumbai of 603 square km. Its height is 400 meters. Wherever it hits the limits of the metropolis, there will be a catastrophe.

Research studies related to the impact of climate change on the Arctic:

Research:

• Study the effects of climate change on the North Pole i.e. the Arctic.
• These studies include natural signs such as the melting, breaking, and cracking of huge icebergs, the shifting of the Earth's magnetic field, the invasion of polar bears into human populations, and the decline of seals, from which the effect of the rising temperature of the Earth on the Arctic becomes clear.

Impact:

• According to a study by America's 'National Snow and Science Data Centre', in the year 2014, the ice layer in 32.90 lakh square km area of the North Pole has melted.
• Environmental scientists are seeing this change as a major threat to marine creatures, ships, penguins, small islands and metropolises.
• This area is almost equal to the land of India. According to this institute, the ice at the North Pole is no longer as hard as it was in 1979. Its solid ice level has decreased by forty percent.

About Antarctica Continent:

• Nickname: This ice covered area is also called the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic usually refers to the region that surrounds the North Pole.
• The North Pole is the most beautiful northern point of our planet Earth. It is believed that this is where the Earth's axis rotates. This place is located in the Arctic Ocean.
• It is extremely cold here because the sun remains hidden for six months. There is always a blanket of white snow here. Near this geographical North Pole, is the Magnetic North Pole.
• Attracted by this magnetic force, the compass needle gives direction indication. The North Star or 'Dhruvatara' is seen shining continuously in the sky of the North Pole.
• Ninety percent of the world's ice is frozen in Antarctica. Therefore it is also called the refrigerator of the earth.
• For centuries, sailors have been looking at this star to estimate how far north they are. This area is also called the Arctic Periphery. Because here one can see the unique view of Midnight Sun and Polar Night.

Location:

• It covers about twenty percent of the area in the Southern Hemisphere with its ice sheet. It also includes the South Pole.
• The Arctic's land area extends to the shores of Siberia in Russia, Iceland, Greenland, northern Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, most of the northern continental part of the United States, Alaska, Canada and the Arctic Archipelago community and many other islands.

Area:

• By area, Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world. The total area of the North Pole is 21 million square km. Out of this, the surface of 1.30 crore square km area is covered with a thick layer of snow.

Temperature:

• Due to being covered with snow, the average temperature here is negative 10 degrees Celsius. In winter it goes down to negative 68 degrees.

Mineral Reserves:

• This region has rich reserves of oil, natural gas and coal.

Humanitarian intervention:

• Commercial activities have intensified here to plunder mineral wealth for industrial development.
• Due to this the ecosystem here has started getting disturbed. As a result, the aquatic and terrestrial fauna found here, including polar bears, seals, belga whales, male whales, blue whales and whalers, are in danger of survival.
• The largest amount of water available on earth is stored in the icy layers here. But now due to rising temperatures and increasing human activities, the ice in the Arctic and Greenland is continuously melting. Research shows that the floating ice around this peninsula has decreased by ten percent. Even after freezing rain, snow is accumulating in minimal quantity. There is much less snow in 2023 compared to 2022.

Adverse Impacts of climate change:

Rising Temperature:

• Climate change is the result of increasing temperatures. Due to rising temperatures on Earth, ice in the North and South Pole regions is melting rapidly.
• According to scientists, sea level is rising due to melting glaciers in Antarctica due to extreme heat or cold.
• According to a study, Taten Iceberg is stable. But due to the effect of climate change, its stability is changing and it is melting rapidly. This is the fastest moving iceberg. The danger of its melting is high, because if it reaches an area of high temperature, it will melt more rapidly.
• If Antarctica's ice continues to melt like this, the sea level around the Southern Ocean will rise, due to which it may affect other oceans as well. If the water level of these seas increases, its effect will be visible on the northern hemisphere of the Earth as well. Melting of ice also changes the nature of atmospheric circulation.

Conclusion:

Antarctica is a vast area covered with ice that extends around the Southern Ocean. This ocean absorbs the largest amount of carbon dioxide emitted on Earth. This ocean absorbs about twelve percent of the carbon emitted throughout the year. But this is possible only when Antarctica's ice remains. Now the time has come that there should be effective measures to control the rising temperature of the earth on war footing.

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Mains Question:

Discuss the adverse impacts of climate change on the continent of Antarctica.