In a time when climate change is becoming more and more prevalent, it is important to stay informed on how it affects Earth. The shrinking of ice caps has resulted from climate change for decades, but the issue is becoming increasingly concerning, with more than 40% of Antarctica’s ice caps melting in the past 25 years. You might be wondering: why melting ice caps matter and what effect this will have on the rest of the world? Ice caps reflect excess heat back into space, which results in cooler temperatures for the planet. Ice loss can also harm agriculture, wildlife, and cause sea levels to rise.
In September, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest levels ever recorded. During the fall months ice grows at a faster rate, so the fact that the lowest number ever was recorded during a fall month exemplifies the effect that climate change is having on the planet. The sea ice around Antarctica reached its lowest winter maximum at 6.5 million square miles. This is 398,000 square miles below the previous record.
Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent in September, making it the sixth-lowest year on record. An even more shocking statistic is that “Between March and September 2023, the ice cover in the Arctic shrank from a peak area of 5.64 million square miles to 1.63 million miles. The amount of sea ice lost was enough to cover the entire continental United States” (Younger). In just seven short months, nearly 4 million square miles of ice was lost, which is astonishing.
Scientists are working to understand why there has been such little growth of the ice in the Arctic and Antarctica. A few possible explanations are new wind patterns and warming ocean temperatures.
Although there is no single solution to prevent ice in these areas from melting, there are steps we can take to help reduce our CO2 emissions. Some of these ways include using public transportation, composting, reducing food waste, and more. Doing this can help mitigate global warming; hopefully increasing ice growth and diminishing ice melting.
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