Globally, the rate of ice melting is accelerating with climate change, on land and on water, in the northern hemisphere and in the southern hemisphere.
Since 1994, satellite images have revealed that more than 28 trillion tons of ice have melted in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as in the Arctic and southern oceans.
Together, the loss amounts to a sheet of ice about 100 meters thick about the size of the United Kingdom. Melted water from Arctic sea ice and the Antarctic ice sheet represents half of that mass.
“The ice sheets are now following the most unfavorable global warming scenarios set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” says Thomas Slater, who studies ground and ice altimetry at the University of Leeds.
“Sea level rise on this scale will have a very serious impact on coastal communities in this century.”
This is exactly what scientists have been warning us for decades, and the reality is finally upon us, with no signs of slowing down.
During the 23-year study period, researchers saw an increase of almost 60% in the rate of global ice loss.
(Planetary Visions / ESA / NASA)
Above: according to the European Space Agency (ESA), “a trillion tons of ice can be considered an ice cube measuring 10x10x10 kilometers. “In this illustration, that ice cube, which ESA says would be taller than Mount Everest, rises over New York.
Just last year, floating ice cover in the Arctic Ocean reached its lowest level since 1979, when satellite recordings began, and Antarctica experienced a melting event, unlike what experts had seen before.
The loss of Earth’s ice is clearly accelerating and has terrible results. As atmospheric temperatures continue to rise and ocean temperatures follow, the melting of sea ice and mountain glaciers around the world is yielding to climate change.
Satellite observations show that glaciers are one of the hardest hit by climate change, especially in Greenland, Alaska and the southern Andes. Despite the fact that glaciers account for only 1% of the Earth’s total ice volume, researchers found that they contributed almost a quarter of all global ice losses.
Between 1994 and 2017, satellite observations revealed 6.1 trillion tonnes of melted ice from mountain glaciers, 3.8 trillion tonnes were lost from the Greenland ice sheet and 2.5 billion tonnes disappeared from the ice sheet. Antarctic ice.
Overall, it is 35 millimeters (1.4 inches) of sea level rise and, while the southern ice has become more resilient, it is also starting to collapse.
Since 2012, the rate of ice loss in Antarctica has tripled compared to the last two decades, and this is mainly due to the melting of large-scale glaciers and thin ice shelves.
Rising atmospheric temperatures also began to affect their floating ice, causing the oldest and thickest plates to fall apart. While this type of melt does not directly contribute to rising sea levels, this does not mean that it is not a threat.
“One of the key roles of Arctic sea ice is to reflect solar radiation back into space, which helps maintain Arctic cooling,” said Isobel Lawrence, who specializes in remote sensing sea ice at the University of Leeds.
“As sea ice shrinks, more solar energy is absorbed by the oceans and atmosphere, causing the Arctic to heat up faster than anywhere else on the planet. Not only does this accelerate the melting of sea ice, but it also exacerbates the melting of glaciers and ice sheets that cause sea levels to rise. “
For every inch of sea level rise, experts predict that one million people are at risk of being displaced. Moreover, mountain glaciers are a critical source of fresh water for many local communities.
As the data appears, what scientists feared most is to look all the more likely.
If things continue in the same direction, some believe there is a chance that the Arctic will be virtually ice-free by 2035.
Other studies show that the melting of ice in Greenland has already passed the point of no return.
To the south, more than half of the ice shelves that support the Antarctic ice sheet are a stone’s throw away.
Everywhere we look, the cryosphere is facing a catastrophe.
The study was published in Cryosphere.