Ice area in the Arctic reaches 40-year low: what will happen to Earth by 2100 year

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that melting glaciers and rising sea levels will accelerate in the coming decades if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. This was reported in a commission report of September 25 of 2019, writes Rtvi.

Фото: Depositphotos

Scientists said that as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, the average temperature on the planet is now at 1 ° C higher than the pre-industrial level. Because of this, glaciers melt and sea level rises, there are more floods and devastating hurricanes.

Over the course of the 20th century, sea level has already risen by 15 centimeters. In the XXI century, it grows twice as fast - 3,6 millimeters per year, and the pace is increasing. According to experts, by the 2100 year, sea level will rise by 30-60 cm, even if we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperature growth within 2 ° C. Otherwise, the level will rise by 60-110 cm, which will threaten flooding of the vast coastal territories.

In the highlands, glaciers are also decreasing in scale. This will cause the growth of snow avalanches, rock falls and floods. If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, then small glaciers in the mountains of Europe, Africa and Indonesia will lose 2100% of their mass by the 80 year. Retreat of glaciers can worsen the situation of access to water resources.

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Rising sea levels will also lead to more frequent extreme events that occur during tides and storms. This poses a risk to coastal cities and small islands that may become uninhabited.

The global ocean ecosystem has also suffered from global warming. Today, the ocean absorbs 90% of excess heat. By 2100, this figure may increase by 2-4 times, and if the level of warming exceeds 2 ° C, then by 5-7 times. Biocenoses of coral reefs suffer from this. In addition, warm water contains less oxygen and nutrients, and this leads to a decrease in fish catch in tropical regions, where millions of people may be left without food.

Warming leads to a decrease in the area of ​​sea ice in the Arctic. In this case, the ice itself becomes thinner, and periods free of it are more often and longer.

Another problem of polar latitudes in the 21st century is the large-scale melting of the surface layer of permafrost to a depth of 3-4 meters. In a good scenario, by 2100, it will melt by 25%, and in a bad scenario, by 70%. This trend may lead to even more greenhouse gas emissions, as the Arctic permafrost contains large amounts of organic carbon.

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The report notes that it is possible to keep the global warming rate below 2 ° C if drastic changes are made in all aspects of life, in particular, in energy consumption, land use, urban infrastructure and industry. Scientists emphasized that the implementation of the Paris Agreements will slow down the warming and related processes.

Experts from 36 states worked on the report; it is based on seven thousand scientific studies.

As a result of global warming in the late summer of 2019, the ice cover in the Arctic reached one of the lowest levels in the last 40 years.

According to satellite data from the US Department of Defense, the glaciers did not manage to recover in volume during the winter. In July, the melting rate increased several times and slowed down only by mid-August. Because of this, the area of ​​glaciers was reduced to 4,15 million square kilometers.

This is the second minimum mark after the record year 2012. Then the powerful August cyclone influenced the melting of the glaciers.

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According to Volt Mayer, an employee of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the summer of 2019 in the Arctic passed without extreme weather events. He also noted that the fires in Siberia did not have much impact on the melting of glaciers. By the time they had reached a significant scale, the sun was already setting in the Arctic. However, in Greenland, melting glaciers were significantly affected by the heatwave that passed in Europe.

According to Goddard Claire Parkinson, senior researcher at the Space Flight Center, there is no indication that the sea ice cover is recovering. This is evidenced by the minimum indicators of this year, and the record low indicators of past years. In the long run, due to weather conditions, the level will either remain at one of the minimum marks or break the previous record.

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