The world has been heating up, literally. Even the coldest areas on Earth have been experiencing the same kind of fate. At the end of March of this year, it was reported that an ice shelf the size of New York City has collapsed in Antarctica. This was one of the most stable clusters, previously unaffected by climate change. During this time, it’s said that East Antartica (where the ice shelf was located) reached temperatures 70 degrees higher than normal.
This all begs the question, what does the future of Antarctica look like? Will it all be melted ice in the future? If you take a look at the impact of climate change, Antartica will be ground zero. This is because Antartica has polar regions that are very sensitive to climate change. In the last 40 years, it’s seen on satellites that Antartica has lost more ice than it has gained. At this rate, we will see a lot of Antarctica deteriorate. Although, we wouldn’t ever see it fully melt. In a very very distant future there is a possibility that (if no action is taken) Antartica could fully melt.
If Antarctica was to fully melt, the sea level would rise over 200 feet. This would cover most coastal cities, and make most of the land we have today unlivable. Unfortunately, Antarctica is melting at a fast rate, which will be a problem in about 40 years. Sea levels will rise higher in the future due to this. Also, the ice reflecting the heat is the only deflector to high temperatures. Temperatures will rise faster than ever as more ice melts over time.
Hopefully we can find a solution to climate change. Luckily, there is still quite a long time before we actually start getting into the more dangerous effects of it. We have scientists, activists, and climatologists working hard every day to ensure sustainability on Earth. There’s no need to worry, yet. We are in good hands.
