Caroline Goldberg
Mr. Webb
Atomic Structure
For my second blog assignment, I chose to read an article about the polar ice caps and how their shrinking is effecting people worldwide. Throughout the changing weather, there has always been rumors of global warming and the melting of ice caps and this article could prove it all to be true. This article tells the reader, "Between 1992 and 2011, the Greenland ice sheet lost 2,940 billion metric tons of ice while the Antarctic ice sheet shed 1,320 billion metric tons." The loss of ice has accounted for 1/4 of sea level rise. Andrew Shepard from the University of Leeds in England says that the findings are important because they could help scientists predict what could happen in the future. For more than a decade, scientists have been researching and reporting new changes is sea level and ice caps to try to predict if they will completely disappear because of warmer temperatures. Data confirms that Greenland's ice caps are melting at a faster rate than before or expected. Antarctica has also lost more ice than it has produced, causing it to shrink and lose mass. This article also explains the good news and bad news of the research found. The good news is that the satellite method for conducting research seemed to be accurate and could be a tool in helping control and monitor ice caps. The bad news is that there are so many factors that go into the melting of ice caps that it will be hard to keep up with year to year changes. Melting glaciers all around the world are a looming topic that shows just how much humans have effected the environment around us.
The severity of losing the polar ice caps are always somewhere in the news and also involved with politics because the state of our environment is in danger. The ice caps in Alaska, Canada, and South America are all melting and losing their mass. This really shows that the mild winter and fall around the world are a harsh reminder that the world's temperature is rising. Global warming is a subject that has much controversy and has many non believers. This article shows that all of the ice could melt and oceans could rise way over regular sea level, effecting sea life, jobs, and coastal life. If that happens, the humans regular way of life could be changed permanently.
Article: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346733/description/Shrinking_polar_ice_caused_one-fifth_of_sea_level_rise
Great blog post! There are many people who are skeptical about global warming but data like this seems very convincing. This made me realize how quickly the ice caps really are melting. Do scientists have any solution to stop or control the rising sea levels? Do scientists think the temperature or sea levels will fall soon?
ReplyDeleteI don't think they know how to control it but they expect sea levels to keep rising
DeleteIt is a very interesting blog! Global warming has always been an issue for us. The fact that the polar ice craps shrinking warned us that we need to protect the environment around us, otherwise we will be punished by the nature. It is very scary that the sea level has risen 1/4 more than before. If the ice continue to melt more than it can be produced, this world will be submerged by the sea. I am wondering that what we can do to stop the extra ice-melting and prevent sea level from rising and what are the causes of Global warming.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Caroline. This is a hot topic of debate for most people, like you mentioned. What kind of ideas are out there to help reduce the shrinking rates? Is there any expectation for the levels to rise back to "normal"?
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing we can do to address issues like this is have conversations with people and raise awareness. Once more people are aware of more accurate, scientific data, there may be less debate and more working towards solutions.