The Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru, the world’s largest tropical ice cap, is expected to lose between 400 and 600 feet of ice before the presidential nominating debates in March and April 2016. This raises the question of what the implications of Antarctica becoming a “ground zero” for global warming could be.
The Republican and Democratic candidates may be unprepared to answer this question, as they are likely to rely on pre-prepared answers such as “I am not a scientist, the climate always changes, blah, blah, blah”. However, the Arctic should also be considered in this context, as the Arctic Sea ice levels in March 2015 were worryingly low, and could set a seasonal low record. Furthermore, the excessive loss of ice this summer could result in the release of large amounts of methane, a potential disaster.
Glaciers are also a major issue, as they provide billions of people with free water, and their loss due to global warming could have a devastating effect. Although the presidential candidates may not be aware of this, they should certainly be informed of the fact that glaciers store 75% of the world’s freshwater.
When questioned on the matter, the candidates’ responses are likely to include the phrase “I am not a scientist, blah, blah, blah”. A more direct inquiry may be: “Does heat melt ice?”. The answer is affirmative.
Massive Threat
The world is facing an unprecedented threat to food production due to the rapid melting of mountain glaciers in Asia. China and India are the world’s leading producers of wheat and rice, two of humanity’s most important staples. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, many of the Himalayan glaciers could be completely melted by 2035. Glaciologist Yao Tandong of China has warned that this could lead to an “ecological catastrophe”.
In 2014, the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported that the Tibetan glaciers had experienced the hottest temperatures in two thousand years. Seventy percent of the glaciers at the headwaters of the Lancang River, which is known as the “Danube of the East”, have already melted away.
In Peru, the Quelccaya Ice Cap is melting at a rate of 600 feet per year, which is forty times faster than a few decades ago. This has put the country’s hydropower, irrigation, and drinking water supply at risk.
A study by Ben Marzeion of the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Innsbruck has found “unambiguous evidence” of a sharp increase in anthropogenic ice loss over the past few decades. This is in line with the cumulative buildup of CO2 emissions, which have now reached 400 ppm.
Recent figures from the Earth System Research Laboratory at Mauna Loa have highlighted an alarming rise in atmospheric CO2 levels. As of March 14th, the concentration of CO2 had increased to 402.28 parts per million (ppm), a jump of 2.28 ppm in just two weeks. This is a stark contrast to the average annual rate of change from 2005-2014, which was 2.11 ppm. It is essential that this worrying trend is addressed urgently to prevent any further damage to the environment.
Ground Zero 85% of World’s Ice
Harvard geophysicists have discovered that parts of Antarctica are melting rapidly, making it “ground zero of global climate change without a doubt.” This is in stark contrast to the claims of “certain parties” who rely on surface evidence and only “look east,” ignoring the western region. According to NASA satellite calculations, 130 billion tons of ice are melting per year in the western region, and temperatures have risen 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) in the last half-century – much faster than Earth’s average.
This has caused experts to shift their focus from Greenland to Antarctica, with ice scientist Ian Joughin of the University of Washington stating that it is “less of a wild card and scarier than we thought before.” NASA ice scientist Eric Rignot adds that the melting is “going way faster than anyone had thought,” and that “warm water eats away at the ice from underneath.”
To measure the heat content in the oceans, 3,300+ Argo floats have been deployed worldwide. According to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the oceans carry a considerable load of the planet’s heat, making the situation in Antarctica all the more concerning.
Catastrophe Hinges on Antarctica (altogether with the Arctic)
Recent research has revealed that the rate of melting ice in Antarctica has tripled, raising grave concerns about the continent’s prospects. A study conducted by Tyler C. Sutterley et al. and published by the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 2, 2014, found that the West Antarctic ice sheet is releasing the equivalent of Mount Everest’s worth of ice into the sea every two years.
This acceleration of melting is due to warming seas, as confirmed by a separate study by Sunke Schmidtko et al., published in the journal Science on Dec. 5, 2014. This research found that the oceans have been absorbing much of the Earth’s heat, resulting in the melting of the floating ice shelves that hold back the glaciers.
These findings were released shortly before the World Meteorological Organization declared 2014 as the warmest year on record. According to glaciologist Richard Alley of Pennsylvania State University, historical studies have demonstrated that ice sheets can remain stable for centuries or millennia and then abruptly switch to a different configuration, which could cause sea levels to rise dramatically. Sarah Gille, an oceanographer at the University of California, San Diego, has warned that current predictions of sea level rise may not accurately take into account the shoaling of warm water in the Antarctic.
The implications of this research are clear: the speed of worldwide melting is a cause for serious alarm and further understanding of the processes at work in Antarctica is essential. As the presidential candidates formulate their policies on climate change, it is critical that they factor in the potential consequences of the rapid melting of Antarctic ice.
