Achi news desk-
Antarctica
– Photo: ANI
expansion
The biggest cause of Antarctic sea ice loss has been the extreme warming of the ocean surface. Indian scientists have solved this mystery through a recent study. The research was conducted in collaboration with the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in India and the British Antarctic Survey in the UK. The study describes the conditions that could lead to a significant loss of ice in Antarctica in 2023 due to ice retreat.
Global warming has led to a massive loss of Arctic sea ice over the past decade. Whereas Antarctica showed a moderate increase until 2015 and then started to decrease from 2016 onwards. In particular, after very slow increases in summer sea ice every year from 2016 to 2022, there was a sudden sharp decrease in 2023. Slow ice expansion in Antarctica preceded the annual maximum on September 7, 2023, with an ice extent of 69 lakh 80 thousand square kilometres, which was below the long-term average of 14.6 million square kilometres.
Circumstances have changed like this
The study’s findings suggest that excessive heat in the upper ocean was responsible for the reduction in ice extent. Apart from that, extreme changes in blood circulation during this period also played an important role. Changes in wind patterns caused strong northerly winds across the ocean. The northerly wind caused a record rise in atmospheric temperatures and forced the ice caps to move south from their normal position.
Ice loss the size of Britain in the Weddell Sea
The impact of strong winds and a polar cyclone was such that the edge of the Weddell Sea ice moved southward at a speed of 256 km in a matter of days, causing a loss of ice equivalent to the size of Great Britain. Researchers say that given a record of satellite observations spanning nearly 45 years, it is difficult To assess what are the main reasons for the increase and decrease in ice volume observed during the last seven years. According to the study, the interaction between anthropogenic pressure and climate variability in this region is unclear and should be further investigated.
