The world's ice cover is in danger

Arabia Weather - A study, by a non-governmental organization, issued a warning about the danger of deteriorating ice cover around the world.

According to the results of this study, the expected rise in global temperatures, which could reach 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, will cause catastrophic effects on mountaintops, glaciers, polar oceans and permafrost around the world.

The world's ice cover is in danger

The study, prepared by the International Ice Sheet and Climate Initiative, indicated that recent research has shown that a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could prevent permanent impacts on the global “ice cover,” which includes places on the Earth’s surface covered by ice and snow for a period of the year over the years. the least.

The study asked participants in the upcoming global climate negotiations to work seriously to limit global warming to a level of 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to rates in the period before the industrial revolution.

Regarding the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, they focus on keeping global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius. However, the United Nations indicated this week that the commitments of various countries in the field of climate change are still far from achieving this goal.

The study stated that “given the developments that have occurred in the field of ice cover since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, it appears that setting the maximum warming at one and a half degrees Celsius is no better than setting it at two degrees,” according to an Agence France-Presse report.

The study's authors and international scientists warned that if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, the melting of the ice caps will cause "a significant and perhaps rapid and permanent rise in ocean levels."

The world is also expected to witness significant melting of glaciers, with some of them likely to "disappear permanently," according to the French agency.

Sea ice may be the most vulnerable part of the ice sheet, and this may be particularly evident in the possibility of the Arctic Ocean becoming completely ice-free during summers. Arctic waters will absorb more of the sun's heat during the 24 hours of summer, which will accelerate the melting of permafrost and ice in Greenland. Melting permafrost poses another major danger, releasing carbon dioxide and methane, emissions that contribute to global warming.

Polar seas will also be affected, with the study suggesting that the carbon absorbed will create “year-round corrosive ocean acidification conditions.” This could endanger all marine life and the various food chains that depend on it. This study, carried out by a large number of scientists, comes days after a warning from the United Nations about the world’s failure to address the climate crisis. The study's authors emphasized that the effects of climate change on the ice cover have been clearly documented.

Source: skynewsarabia