Polar ice caps are melting at a much faster rate than models show. Take Antarctica for example, the ice loss increased about 75% over ten years since 1996. Now it's losing 192 gigatons of ice per year ten years ago it was 112 gigatons. Some say that Antarctica will gain more ice as global warming proceeds because of increased snowfall. It doest look that way, scientists are seeing how Antarctica is losing more and more ice mass every year.
Antarctica is not the only place that is losing ice mass. The Arctic is also heavily effected by global warming. The temperature of water in the Arctic Ocean is rising very rapidly. The rising water level is effecting the current in the Atlantic and now more salty and warmer water is flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The rising of water temperature is recorded in many northern seas.
Scientists believe that there's no stopping this and pretty soon the northern ice cap will melt causing extinction of many animals living there.
I've found a picture which might give you a better understanding of the situation:
4 comments
4 comments
If the Arctic ice cap melts it won't effect us very much, it won't raise the sea level as the ice is already floating on the water. Antarctica and Greenland however have land glaciers and if they were to melt that would be very bad for us, many cities and even countries would be flooded, there will be no Florida, no Netherlands. New York, London, Venice, will be flooded. Need to get myself a boat