What Is Arctic Ice?
Arctic ice keeps the polar regions cool and helps moderate the global climate. Sea ice has a bright surface, so 80 percent of the sunlight that strikes it is reflected into space. This helps the climate on Earth not get too warm.
What Is The Loss Of Arctic Ice?
We are losing Arctic ice at a rate of almost 13% every 10 years. This may seem slow, but over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice has declined by 95%. If we keep losing Arctic ice at this incredible speed, we could have an ice-free Arctic by 2040!!!
What Causes The Loss Of Arctic Ice?
One of the main causes of rapidly decreasing sea ice is global warming. As the temperature of our planet increases, Arctic ice starts decreasing faster. But, global warming isn’t the only cause. Let’s take a look at some others…
- Burning of Fossil Fuels: The burning of fossil fuels has resulted in the buildup of greenhouse gases in the environment, influencing global warming as they trap heat in the atmosphere. The increase in temperatures is causing more glaciers to melt, exposing the earth underneath.
- Oil and Gas Drilling: The oil and gas extraction processes emit methane, the main element in natural gas. The gas is more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide, locking in heat more efficiently and escalating global warming. 21% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the US come from oil, gas, and coal that have been removed from government lands.
- Deforestation: Trees play a very important function in balancing the ecosystem and cooling the planet. Cutting down trees to create more space for human activities is actually proving detrimental to the environmental balance. As more trees are cut down, our planet slowly starts to get warmer. Trees also absorb a lot of carbon dioxide, playing a vital role in helping to stop global warming.
- Ice Breaking Ships: During the summer months, icebreaking ships head to the north into the Arctic Ocean, breaking through the Arctic ice, leaving trails of open waters.
Effects Of The Loss Of Arctic Ice
- Temperature: The Arctic and Antarctic are what keep the world cool. Due to them being covered in snow and ice that can reflect heat into space, they cool down other parts of the world that absorb heat. Less ice and snow results in less reflected heat, meaning more intense heat waves. But it also means extreme winters. As the polar jet stream gets disturbed by warm air, it can move South (instead of North), taking the bitter cold with it.
- Coastal Communities: The international average sea level has increased by about 7–8 inches since 1900 and worsening. Rising seas endanger coastal cities and island nations by intensifying coastal flooding and storm surges, making weather events dangerous. The melting of the Greenland ice sheet is a major predictor of future sea-level rise; if it melts completely, international sea levels could rise by 20 feet.
- Food: Polar vortexes, increased heat waves, and unpredictability of weather caused by ice loss are already causing significant damage to crops on which global food systems depend. This instability will continue to mean higher prices for you and growing crises for the world’s most vulnerable.
- Shipping: As ice melts, shipping routes open up in the Arctic. These routes will be time-savers, but incredibly risky. (Imagine more shipwrecks or oil spills/leaks like the Exxon-Valdez, in areas that are far from rescue or clean-up crews.)
- Wildfires: When there’s less sea ice, animals depending on it must adapt or die. Loss of ice spells trouble for polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, snowy owls, reindeer, and many more Arctic species. If they are affected, other species that depend on them are also, including humans. Wildlife and humans are coming into more frequent contact (and often conflict ) as wildlife encroach on Arctic communities, looking for refuge as their Arctic ice habitat disappears.
- Permafrost: Arctic ice and permafrost store large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. When it thaws, methane is released, increasing the rate of global warming. As a result, more ice and permafrost thaw, releasing more methane, causing more melting. As we lose more ice more quickly and see more rapid permafrost melt, we will start seeing the worst climate-change predictions come true!!!
How Can We Help Stop Rapidly Melting Arctic Ice?
The honest answer is that no one knows because we’ve never faced this level of change in the Arctic. We should go slow by adopting precautionary policies for increased industrial access for commercial fishing, shipping, and offshore oil and gas. We should do more scientific research, like the studies summarized in the Arctic Report Card, so that we can better understand how the Arctic works and how changes are rippling through ecosystems. We should listen to and help Arctic communities adapting to changing circumstances.
Most fundamentally, we should work to reverse climate change. In the long run, getting our greenhouse gas emissions under control could actually reverse melting trends and restore Arctic sea ice. Indeed, because Arctic sea ice plays such an important role in global temperature regulation, restoration of Arctic ice may be vital not just for the Arctic, but for the world.
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