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melting snow,What is Arctic Amplification
- 2. The Earth's glaciershave been silently retreating for more than half a century as climate change inexorably marches on. There is no place on the planet — except south-east Asia — capable of withstanding the effects of a phenomenon that has melted more than 9.6 billion tonnes of glacial ice in the world since 1961, according to a 2019 satellite study by the University of Zurich (Switzerland), and threatens to evaporate over a third of all glaciers by 2100, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
- 3. Why in News? •A recent study in the Nature journal suggests that the melting of Arctic Sea ice in summer is inevitable in the coming decades. • The loss of Arctic Sea ice due to global warming (arctic amplification) has raised concerns about its impact on global climate and the environment. • What are the New Findings on Arctic Sea Ice? • Sea Ice Decline: – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)reports confirm the decline of Arctic Sea ice. • The first "sea-ice free summer" is projected to occur before 2050, due to global emissions driving temperatures beyond 4.5°C. • Satellite records indicate a yearly rate of Arctic ice loss at nearly 13%. • Insufficient Emission Reductions: – The Nature study indicates that no emission scenario can prevent the loss of Arctic Sea ice in summer. – If significant emission reductions are not undertaken, an ice-free summer could occur as early as the 2030s.
- 4. • Underestimated MeltingRate: – Human-induced factors contribute to approximately 90% of ice melting, while natural variability accounts for the rest. – Climate models, including those used by the IPCC, underestimated the speed of melting. – Correcting for this underestimation reveals the possibility of ice-free Augusts and Octobers by 2080. • What is the Importance of Arctic Sea Ice? • Climate Influence: – Arctic sea ice plays a crucial role in influencing global climate patterns. – It reflects sunlight, helping to maintain the earth's energy balance and cool polar regions. – Sea ice acts as a barrier, keeping the air cool by separating cold air above from warmer water below. • Biodiversity and Indigenous Communities: – Changes in sea ice impact biodiversity, particularly mammals like polar bears and walruses. – Indigenous Arctic populations reliant on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and migration are affected. • Economic Opportunities and Competition: – Reduced ice cover opens shipping lanes and facilitates access to natural resources in the Arctic. • This leads to increased competition among countries for influence and resource exploitation in the region.
- 5. What is ArcticAmplification? • About: – Arctic amplification refers to the phenomenon where changes in surface air temperature and net radiation balance produce larger effects at the poles, specifically in the Arctic region. • Causes: – It is a result of global warming caused by anthropogenic forces or human activities since pre-industrial times, leading to a 1.1-degree Celsius increase in the Earth's average temperature. – The primary causes of Arctic amplification include ice-albedo feedback, lapse rate feedback, water vapor feedback, and ocean heat transport. – Diminishing sea ice in the Arctic due to global warming plays a significant role in amplifying the warming effect. • Sea ice and snow have high albedo, reflecting most solar radiation, while water and land absorb more radiation, leading to increased warming. – The reduction of sea ice allows the Arctic Ocean to absorb more solar radiation, further amplifying the warming effect. • The lapse rate, which is the rate at which temperature decreases with elevation, decreases with warming, contributing to Arctic amplification. – Studies suggest that the ice-albedo feedback and lapse rate feedback account for 40% and 15% of polar amplification, respectively. • Consequences: – Weakening of Polar Jet Streams: • Diminished sea ice weakens polar jet streams, resulting in rising temperatures and heatwaves in Europe. • Unseasonal showers in northwest India have also been linked to this weakening. – Melting of Ice: • The Greenland ice sheet's melting contributes to rising sea levels, with a complete melt potentially causing a seven-meter rise. – Changes in Composition of Sea Water: • Warming of the Arctic Ocean and seas, along with changes in salinity and acidification, affects biodiversity, including marine and dependent species. – Affects Fauna: • Increased rainfall due to Arctic amplification affects the availability and accessibility of lichens, leading to starvation and death among Arctic fauna. – Gaseous Emission: • Thawing permafrost releases carbon and methane, greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. • It may also release long-dormant bacteria and viruses, potentially leading to disease outbreaks.
- 6. What is Impacton India? • Extreme Rainfall Events: – Studies found that the reduced sea ice in the Barents-Kara Sea region can lead to extreme rainfall events in the latter half of the monsoons — in September and October in India. • Warming of Arabian Sea: – The changes in the atmospheric circulation due to diminishing sea ice combined with the warm temperatures in the Arabian Sea contribute to enhanced moisture and drive extreme rainfall events. • In 2014, India deployed IndARC, India’s first moored-underwater observatory in the Kongsfjorden fjord, Svalbard, to monitor the impact of the changes in the Arctic Ocean. • Rise in Sea Level along Indian Coast: – According to the ‘State of Global Climate in 2021’ report, sea level along the Indian coast is rising faster than the global average rate.
- 8. Why do glaciersmelt? Causes • The rising temperature of the Earth has, without doubt, been responsible for melting glaciers throughout history. Today, the speed with which climate change is progressing might render them extinct in record time. Let us take a detailed look at the causes behind glacial melting: • CO2 emissions: the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by industry, transport, deforestation and burning fossil fuels, amongst other human activities, warm the planet and cause glaciers to melt. • Ocean warming: oceans absorb 90% of the Earth's warmth, and this fact affects the melting of marine glaciers, which are mostly located near the poles and on the coasts of Alaska (United States).
- 10. Effects of meltingglaciers • University of Zurich revealed that glacial melting has accelerated over the last three decades. This loss of ice has already reached 335 billion tonnes per year, which is 30% of the current rate of ocean growth. The main consequences of deglaciation are: • Sea level rise • Glacial melting has contributed to raising sea levels by 2.7 centimeters since 1961. Furthermore, the world's glaciers contain enough ice — about 170,000 cubic kilometres — to raise sea levels by nearly half a metre. • Impact on the climate • Glacial thawing at the poles is slowing the oceanic currents, a phenomenon related to altering the global climate and a succession of increasingly extreme weather events throughout the globe. • Disappearance of species • Glacial melting will also cause the extinction of numerous species, as glaciers are the natural habitat of a number of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic. •
- 11. • Less freshwater • The disappearance of glaciers also means less water for consumption by the population, a lower hydroelectric energy generation capacity, and less water available for irrigation.
- 12. Solutions to avoidmelting glaciers • Glaciologists believe that, despite the massive ice loss, we do still have time to save the glaciers from their predicted disappearance. Here are some ideas and proposals for how we can help achieve this goal: • Stop climate change • In order to curtail climate change and save the glaciers, it is indispensable that global CO2 emissions be reduced by 45 % over the next decade, and that they fall to zero after 2050. • Slow down their erosion • The scientific journal Nature suggested building a 100-metre-long dam in front of the Jakobshavn glacier (Greenland), the worst affected by Arctic melting, to contain its erosion. • Combine artificial icebergs • Indonesian architect Faris Rajak Kotahatuhaha won an award for his project Refreeze the Arctic, which consists of collecting water from melted glaciers, desalinating it and refreezing it to create large hexagonal ice blocks. Thanks to their shape, these icebergs could then be combined to create frozen masses. • Increase their thickness • The University of Arizona proposed a seemingly simple solution: manufacture more ice. Their proposal consists of collecting ice from below the glacier through pumps driven by wind power to spread it over the upper ice caps, so that it will freeze, thus strengthening the consistency.
- 13. UN’s World MeteorologicalOrganization’s Report Sounds Alarm • Sea levels have increased at an average rate of 4.62 millimeters per year since 2013, twice as fast as the previous decade. Oceans absorb around 90% of the heat that greenhouse gases trap on Earth. • The 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a preference for 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- 14. Causes of GlacialMelting • Effects of Melting Glaciers (Deglaciation) • Sea level rise: Glacial melting has contributed to raising sea levels by 2.7 centimeters since 1961. Sea ice melts. This, in turn, increases coastal erosion and storm surge. The main causes of the rise in sea levels are the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. • Weather Patterns: The melting of ice eliminates the cooling effect that previously existed, causing darker patches of the ocean to emerge. This leads to warmer air temperatures and disrupts normal patterns of ocean circulation. Research shows that the polar vortex is appearing more frequently outside of the Arctic due to changes in the jet stream, caused by warming air and ocean temperatures in the Arctic and the tropics. • Fishing Industries: The warmer waters resulting from melting glaciers change where and when fish spawn, affecting industries that rely on vibrant fisheries. Coastal communities will continue to face billion-dollar disaster recovery bills as flooding becomes more frequent and storms become more intense. • Wildlife: Melting glaciers in the Arctic cause wildlife such as walruses to lose their home, and polar bears to spend more time on land, increasing conflict between people and bears. • Fresh Water Scarcity: Melting glaciers result in less accessible fresh water for human usage, whether it is for drinking, hydroelectricity production, or agriculture. • Threat to Coral Reefs: Melting glaciers and rising sea levels prevent coral reefs from receiving adequate sunlight, which is necessary for their survival. This threatens their ability to thrive through the process of photosynthesis. • Influence on ocean currents: In addition, rapid glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland influences ocean currents and slows them down, as massive amounts of very cold glacial-melt water enter warmer ocean waters. As ice on land continues to melt, sea levels will keep rising, presenting a significant threat to our planet. • Glacier hazards: They also increase in risk related to glacier hazards due to enhanced number and volume of glacier lakes, accelerated flash flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), impact on agro practices in high Himalayan region etc. • Pattern of losses of ice bodies in different parts of the world
- 15. What are thecauses of Glacial Melting (Deglaciation)? • Global warming: Melting glaciers can be attributed to global warming caused by human activities, primarily the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane from industry, transportation, and fossil fuel use. • Deforestation: It contributes to global warming by releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while reducing the amount absorbed by trees. • Additionally, rapid industrialization has led to glacier melting since the early 1900s. • Climate change: It contributes to other factors that can increase glacier melt, such as changes in precipitation patterns and a decrease in snowfall. • Natural Factors: Natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, El Niño events, and changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns can also affect glacial melting. • Albedo Effect: The albedo effect is the measure of the reflectivity of a surface, and in the case of glaciers, it plays a significant role in reflecting sunlight back into space. However, the reduction of ice cover leads to a lower albedo effect, which, in turn, leads to more absorption of sunlight and warming of the atmosphere.
- 16. Antarctica: • Antarctica isone of the fastest warming regions on the planet, with a temperature increase of over 3°C in the past 50 years. Russian Arctic: • Ice mass loss in the Russian Arctic has nearly doubled over the last decade. • Glaciers in the Russian Arctic are shrinking by area and height, with an increase in the recent speed of ice loss. South America: • The Chacaltaya glacier in the Bolivian Andes, which was 18,000 years old, has disappeared. • Avalanches have occurred at the base of the Cayambe glacier in Ecuador and caused serious damage in the area of Pampa Linda, confirming the trend towards the collapse of the Andean glaciers.
- 17. Way Forward: • • MitigationStrategies: • Transition to Renewable Energy: Encouraging the use of renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. • Energy Efficiency: Improving energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, and industry can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. • Forest Protection and Reforestation: Protecting forests from deforestation and promoting reforestation efforts can help to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. • Carbon Capture and Storage: Developing technology to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, factories, and other sources. • International Climate Agreements: International agreements like the Paris Agreement aim to limit global warming by setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. • Adaptation Strategies: Adaptation strategies aim to address the impacts of glacial melting that are already happening or are likely to happen in the future. Here are some examples of adaptation strategies: • Early Warning Systems: Developing early warning systems to alert communities to glacial meltwater floods, landslides, and other hazards. • Infrastructure Planning: Planning infrastructure to withstand the impacts of glacial meltwater floods, sea-level rise, and other climate-related hazards. • Ecosystem Protection and Restoration: Protecting and restoring ecosystems that provide services like flood control and water supply. • Community Education and Training: Educating and training communities to prepare for and respond to the impacts of glacial melting. • Disaster Risk Reduction: Developing disaster risk reduction strategies and plans that take into account the impacts of glacial melting and other climate-related hazards... Read more at: https://www.studyiq.com/articles/melting-glaciers-and-rising-sea- levels-un-report/
- 19. • International Associationof Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), a record 105,331 people visited Antarctica over the 2022-23 austral season, continuing a rapid rise.
- 20. • At touristhotspots, the effect of that influx is often apparent. Queues of cruise liners wait out in Fildes Bay; fuel spills and collisions between vessels and marine life have been recorded, and in some areas tourists have traipsed over delicate mosses and plants. Some historic structures have even been scarred by graffiti.
- 21. The Last Placeon Earth Any Tourist Should Go Take Antarctica off your travel bucket list. Antarctica doesn’t need ambassadors; it needs guardians
- 23. Pollution checking tools •Water Pollution Control: – Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs): Treats domestic and industrial wastewater to remove pollutants before releasing the water back into the environment. – Bioremediation: Uses microorganisms to break down pollutants in water bodies. – Constructed Wetlands: Natural systems that use vegetation to treat wastewater and improve water quality. • Noise Pollution Control: – Sound Barriers: Physical structures designed to block or reduce the transmission of sound. – Noise Barriers: Planting vegetation to act as a buffer between noise sources and sensitive areas. – Regulations and Zoning: Implementing and enforcing noise regulations and zoning laws to control noise levels in different areas. • Soil Pollution Control: – Bioremediation: Uses microorganisms to break down or neutralize pollutants in the soil. – Phytoremediation: Involves using plants to absorb, accumulate, or transform contaminants in the soil. – Landfill Management: Proper waste disposal and management to prevent soil contamination. • Solid Waste Management: – Recycling: Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills by reusing materials. – Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Plants: Convert solid waste into energy through incineration. – Composting: Converts organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. • Green Technologies: – Renewable Energy Sources: Utilizing solar, wind, hydro, and other renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. – Energy-Efficient Technologies: Implementing technologies that reduce energy consumption in industrial processes and buildings. – Green Building Practices: Designing and constructing buildings with environmentally friendly materials and energy-efficient systems. • Regulatory Measures: – Environmental Laws and Policies: Implementation and enforcement of regulations to control and reduce pollution. – Emission Standards: Setting limits on the amount of pollutants that industries and vehicles can release into the environment.