ANTARCTICA (AFP) —
Sea ice thickness in Antarctica reached its lowest point on record for the third year in a row. This shrinkage portends serious consequences for life on Earth.
But when surveying the southernmost continent, scientist Miguel Angel de Pablo lamented that humans seemed oblivious to the warnings.
“We (scientists) are very worried… because we don't know how we can solve it ourselves,” the Spanish planetary geologist told AFP on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Archipelago.
“The more warnings we send out… to make people aware of what's happening, it seems like we're not being heard, that we're being (perceived) as those who are causing excessive concern,” even though there is evidence, he said.
The United States (US) National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported on Wednesday (28/2) that for the third consecutive month in February, the minimum area of sea ice in Antarctica was below two million square kilometers, the peak period of the summer melt season in the southern region.
Juan Carlos I research station in Antarctica, January 26 2024. Ice thickness in Antarctica has fallen to its lowest point in history for the third year in a row due to global warming. (Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP)
Minimum sea ice cover over the past three years is the lowest since records began 46 years ago.
Melting sea ice does not have a direct impact on sea levels, because the ice is formed from the freezing of salt water already in the ocean.
However, white ice reflects more sunlight than darker sea water. The loss of ice further exacerbates global warming and also exposes layers of freshwater ice on land, which could cause significant sea level rise if they melt.
“Even though we are far from inhabited areas of the planet, the reality is that what happens in Antarctica impacts all regions of the world,” De Pablo said.
A study last year found that nearly half of Antarctica's ice shelves – floating sheets attached to land – have also decreased in volume in the past 25 years, releasing trillions of tonnes of liquid water into the ocean.
De Pablo said this impacts not only sea levels but also ocean salinity and temperature.
Some scientists say the evidence for the impact of climate change on sea ice melt in Antarctica – known for significant annual variations in summer melting and winter freezing – is less clear than in the Arctic.
View of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, January 26, 2024. (Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP)
What is beyond doubt is that continued global warming caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases will influence these patterns in the future.
De Pablo, who has devoted 16 years of his life to studying Antarctic ice, told AFP it may be too late to stop the trend.
“The problem is that this degradation is not easy to overcome,” he said.
“Even if today we (change) the rhythm of life of Western society, tomorrow the glaciers will not stop being degraded and the frozen soil will not disappear,” with all the consequences.
Scientists estimate that overall global temperatures are already 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial temperatures. The Paris Agreement in 2015 set out to limit warming to 1.5 C by limiting emissions that cause global warming.
“We have to ask ourselves whether the way we live our daily lives is truly beneficial because ultimately we will lose our planet,” De Pablo said.
“There is no second planet on Earth,” he added. (ah/ft)