The annual report on the situation of the Arctic shows a north pole which is transformed “alarming and undeniable”. To the south, one of the main glaciers of Antarctica risks disintegrating itself in part within five years.
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The poles are always disturbed more quickly as a result of climate change caused by human activities. In the North, the Arctic is propelled into a state radically different from the one in which there was only a few decades ago, with snow and ice that leaves room for more lush vegetation and more frequent heat waves. To the south, Antarctica may see some of one of its main glaciers disintegrate in five years, accelerating ice infaple. A series of scientific work, presented on Tuesday, December 14 during the “Href=”https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting” target=”_blank” –Noopener- Title=”New window”> Autumn meeting of the American Geophysics Union , describe these changes for many irreversible.
The annual report “Arctic Report Card” , directed by 111 scientists of twelve countries, shows a north pole that turns into an “alarming and undeniable” way. Between October and December 2020, the Arctic has experienced its hottest autumn since 1900, and the full year (October 2020 – September 2021) is the seventh hottest ever registered.
The North Pole warms up more than twice as fast as the rest of the globe, even four times more, According to the latest jobs of researchers believing that previous digits have been underestimated . In issue, a phenomenon called “Arctic amplification” that functions like a vicious circle: By melting, ice and snow, very reflective, are replaced by ocean or vegetation, darker, which further absorb the rays of the Sun. It follows an increase in the temperatures of the air and the water which, in turn, accelerate the cast iron.
Greenland also worries
Consequence: the disappearance of the Arctic packing is accelerating. She did not beat record this year in terms of surface but of volume: in April, the latter reached her low level since the beginning of the recordings in 2010. The pack ice was, indeed, more fine than years Previous, with much less old ice, which makes it more vulnerable. This melting is part of a heavy trend: the last fifteen years are all those with the least sea ice surface.
Greenland also worries scientists. He has experienced three episodes of “extreme cast iron” in July and August. Mid-August, rain – and not snow – was observed for the first time at the top of the ice cap, more than 3,000 meters above sea level.
In the rest of the Arctic regions, the changes are fast: the tundra breaks at sight, the fires multiply, the permafrost – these soils frozen permanently – thaws, releasing the carbon it contains. The withdrawal of glaciers and melting of permafrost lead to increased risks – landslides, floods, etc. – for the 5 million inhabitants living in these regions. The development of maritime traffic, allowed by the disappearance of the pack ice, causes an increase in the number of garbage and debris that accumulate along the coast and an increase in noise in the ocean, disrupting marine mammals.
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