If all the ice in the Arctic melts, what will happen?
As time goes by, the ice in the Arctic melts more and more due to the rapid rise in the Earth’s temperature. If the world cannot reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, it is predicted that in the next two years, the ice sheet in the Arctic Ocean could melt completely.
According to a journal published in Nature Communications on November 3, it was stated that by 2027, or in the next two years, the Arctic Ocean may be ice-free, if humans fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Meteorologist Alexandra Jahn from the University of Colorado mentioned that the day the Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free may not drastically change the world’s situation, but it will demonstrate how human actions have altered the natural environment due to greenhouse gas emissions.
In the past, ice in the ocean or seas played a crucial role in regulating the temperature of the oceans and the atmosphere. It provided food and habitats for various species and helped slow global warming by reducing the accumulation of heat in the oceans. The ice sheets also had a high albedo (the ratio of light reflected or scattered by a surface compared to the light absorbed by it), which helped reflect heat back into space.
Of course, if one day the ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean disappear, the Earth will absorb more heat and reflect less back into space. Sea levels will rise, and food sources and habitats for various species will vanish. Human lifestyles will also change accordingly. If the world continues to release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the ice-covered Arctic could quickly turn into a boiling sea.
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