Antarctica mass melting
One of the significant consequences of global warming is the accelerated melting of glaciers. The rate at which they are disappearing has surged by 57% since the 1990s. If current warming trends continue, it is projected that two-thirds of the Earth's glaciers could vanish by the year 2100.
Why it's important?
Sea levels are rising, and coastal areas are at risk of flooding
1,000 billion metric tons is equal to about 260 cubic miles of
ice—enough to raise sea level by about 3 millimeters.
Freshwater reserves are decreasing
Ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica store about two-thirds of
all the fresh water on Earth. This is an important resource for
drinking water and hydropower in some regions. Another issue is
the changing composition of the world's oceans.
Glaciers may contain toxic substances and microorganisms
"Some scientists warn that glaciers may contain toxic substances
(such as mercury) and microorganisms to which humans have no
immunity."
The extinction and demise of animals
The change in the composition of the world's ocean water, the
change in global temperatures, and the area of glaciers can lead
to alterations in the usual habitats of animals and plants,
resulting in the extinction of some of them.
Data source
- Ice sheet mass balance (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ice-sheet-mass-balance)
- NASA Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31158/)
- Mapping the World's Glaciers (https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/observing-and-monitoring-glaciers-and-ice-sheets/mapping-worlds-glaciers/ )
- Climate Change Indicators: Ice Sheets (https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-ice-sheets)
- The causes and consequences of glacier melting (https://www.rgo.ru/ru/article/prichiny-i-posledstviya-tayaniya-lednikov)
- Global glacier melting: causes and consequences (https://rg.ru/2024/01/12/chto-proizojdet-esli-arktika-i-antarktika-rastaiut.html#2 )