Global warming makes thin ice alarmingly common

The Arctic has traditionally served as a stronghold for thick, permanent ice that affects the global climate and local habitats in many ways. In relatively recent times though, global warming has reduced that stronghold to some condensed areas in Greenland and Canada.

Polar bears that rely on solid of ice for transportation are struggling as larger swathes of their habitat become lethal traps. A NASA satellite is tracking the changes in ice thickness and is recording reductions of over 2 feet per year. While that may not seem like a lot, US researchers have predicted that the Arctic could be nearly ice free in about 30 years.

Less ice means more open water, which more readily absorbs sunlight. As that warmed water flows out of the Arctic it has the potential to greatly affect ocean currents and in turn worldwide temperatures. Scientists have found that even older ice that’s survived more than a year is down by 42 percent, according to AFP.

More analysis is necessary to confirm early predictions, and with the ICESat satellite scientists are able to measure ice thickness whereas before they could only measure how much land was covered by ice. Ron Kwok from NASA says

The near-zero replenishment of the multi-year ice cover, combined with unusual exports of ice out of the Arctic after the summers of 2005 and 2007, have both played significant roles in the loss of Arctic sea ice volume.

So why not stop the melting ice with some sort of manmade device? The Obama administration is considering all options, including the injection of pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight, among others. The problem with a man-made scientific approach is its potential for unforeseen side effects. What if the pollution particles block out too much sunlight or make the air impossible for humans to breathe?

Technology has become the human vice for avoiding change, and despite the drastic consequences this situation may test our resolve to become more.