As the oceans warm and temperatures rise, Antarctica, which has the most vulnerable glaciers and is the largest cause of sea level rise in the world, is experiencing the highest temperature rise. According to the World Meteorological Organization, temperatures in Antarctica have risen by almost three degrees over the past 50 years, with about 87 percent of glaciers along its west coast receding. If the Twitz Glacier collapses in the southwest, the sea level could rise up to 3 meters.
Tidal floods will increase sharply, disrupting life in various countries, including Bangladesh and China, and completely eradicating countries like the Maldives. These forecasts are not too long. We are only a decade or so away from these catastrophes. More than a hundred million people around the world live on beaches with an average altitude of one meter above sea level, which is vulnerable to rising sea levels. It is unlikely that the international community will be sufficiently prepared to relocate this number and rescue this wave of asylum seekers.
Melting glaciers disrupt global climate patterns, which the oceans help regulate, and exacerbate the effects of climate change. The oceans absorb one-third of man-made carbon dioxide and release it from the atmosphere. But as glaciers heat up and melt, ocean carbon dioxide levels rise and they lose their ability to absorb more. Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide in the oceans are irreversibly altering the habitat of marine life and in many cases making it uninhabitable.
This is the first time that temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius have been recorded in Antarctica. This has led to fears of climate instability in the world’s largest ice reservoir. The temperature recorded by Brazilian scientists is almost one degree higher than the highest temperature ever recorded on the island (8.19 degrees Celsius in January 1982).
These temperature records must be approved by the World Meteorological Organization. They are consistent with rising temperatures on the island and surrounding islands, which could indicate the accuracy of the measurements. Antarctica has one of the fastest warming rates on Earth, warming by almost 3 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Researchers who collect the data every three days at remote monitoring stations have described the new record as “unbelievable and unnatural.”
Impacts vary across Antarctica, which includes the Peninsula, Islands, and the Southern Ocean from 60 degrees latitude. This region stores about 70% of the world’s fresh water in the form of snow and ice. If they all melt, the sea level will rise by 50 to 60 meters, although this will take many years. UN researchers predict that ocean levels will rise by 30 to 110 centimeters by the end of this century, depending on human efforts to reduce the emission and sensitivity of ice sheets.
While temperatures in the east and center of Antarctica are relatively stable, concerns about the Antarctic West are higher. That is where the warming of the oceans has caused the Twitz glaciers and the lower island to decay. To date, this has led to a relatively small increase in sea level, but if a steady jump in temperature occurs, this trend could change rapidly.
The Antarctic Peninsula has been severely affected. The Guardian reports on a Greenpeace voyage to Discovery Bay and King George Island glaciers that have retreated more than 100 meters. That is, where the snow melted in a little over a week and the dark rocks beneath it appeared. Of course, these glaciers thaw a bit every summer, but scientists say that trend has become more pronounced in recent years. Temperatures are rising faster in winter.
