Antarctica is melting
Global warming directs to melt the Polar Regions
Abstract- Many researchers, geologists, and other scientists are reflecting on profound concerns about changes in the climate of the planet.
The burning of fossil fuels for the production of electricity produces gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides which lead to global warming. Their accumulation in the air causes severe damage to life on Earth as well as many drastic impacts on nature itself like geographical changes. Global warming disrupted Antarctica, the collapsing of ice sheets disturbs the living creatures like Penguins above the ice and fish residing inside the ice. Their generations are near threat due to the accumulation of pollutants in the air.
Global warming commonly refers to the heating of the Earth's surface due to fossil fuel burning which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere.
Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide(CO2) and other air pollutants accumulate in the atmosphere, directly emitted into the air by the burning processes attained by industries. Such poisonous gases absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have been bounced off the Earth’s surface. The accumulation of poisonous gases in the atmosphere turned into hazardous gases to weaken the protective belt of Ozone. The pollutants can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter.
These heat-trapping pollutants such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic fluorinated gases are known as greenhouse gases and their impact is called the Greenhouse Effect.
The protective belt Ozone when it begins to deplete can directly impact the lives of creatures on Earth and as well as can also change the geographical composition of regions as we contemplate Antarctica is changing.
Climate change in Antarctica
Global warming means the' change in temperature' is not stable in Antarctica.
Around 5.5 million square miles in size and thick ice covers about 98% of the land.
The coldest continent on Earth has a part called the Antarctic Peninsula that has been warming instantly five times faster than the global average.
Since 1950, the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed almost 3°C, that's more warming than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere. Overall warmer temperatures increase ice melt and have caused several Ice shelves or sheets to break apart.
Impacts of climate change
•Collapsing of ice sheets:
Greene said in a NASA announcement: "Antarctica is crumbling at its edges''.
Ice sheets- a layer of ice covering or a mass of glacial ice, a widespread area of land for a long period.An ice sheet forms through the accumulation of snowfall in areas where annual snowfall exceeds annual snowmelt.
What causes ice sheets to collapse?
Flows of moisture in the sky in the form of water vapor, pollutants, and other dust particles can cause the collapse of Antarctica ice sheets. When an atmospheric flow hits the Antarctic Peninsula's mountains, it releases moisture and creates warming winds that cause the surface of land ice to melt rapidly and sea ice to disintegrate.
According to the climate scientist Alexander Robel," when ice shelves collapse, the glaciers which feed into them speed up and contribute more to sea level rise".
NASA Earth's Observatory reported; that in total, parts of 21 ice shelves on the Antarctica Peninsula broke apart between 2000 and 2020. At sustained warming levels between 2°C and 3°C, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will be lost almost completely and irreversibly over thousands of years.
In late March 2022, the 1,191 square miles of Conger Ice Shelf (about the size of Los Angeles) collapsed, shortly after a surge of warm air resulted in temperatures that were a record 40°C (72°F) above normal.
•Climate change is affecting the Antarctic Penguins
Due to the rapid global warming, sea ice in the Antarctic Peninsula is shrinking in size, and the sea-ice season is shorter. There are many types of penguins dwelling on ice like an Emperor penguin. The loss of sea ice is harmful to penguins to feed their chicks on land-locked sea ice.
When sea ice breaks up before their chicks have matured, they are moved into the ocean and are likely to die.
Gentoo penguins, who live in isolated colonies and do not normally swim far from home, might not be able to relocate as easily as other penguin species as climate change makes their current habitat problematic.
The loss of sea ice can impact more catastrophes for adult penguins and can lead to lower food availability which can result in increased mortality.
Besides penguins, other creatures like fishes, whales, and seals, can face the problems of climate change. The disintegration of sea ice means disturbing their habitats and their generations. Antarctic fishes are designed uniquely for survival inside the thick ice sheets. Because they have evolved proteins that act as antifreeze. These antifreeze proteins are a group of unique macromolecules that help some polar and subpolar marine bony fishes avoid freezing in their icy habitats.
But abrupt increases in temperature and acidification can lead to the loss of marine habitats and species because files play an important role in the food web. The Food web is a collection or bridge among loving creatures for depending on one another for survival. The disturbance can entirely vanish their productions for future. But some researchers acknowledged that, if the continuity of climate change switch the icy land into a dry land then their might be a chance of new emergency of community again due to warm temperatures because many creatures can survive the warm the conditions. The ultimate shape of the area might be transformed into a new emerged land and species but it take more time for species to developing new habitats.
Additionally, the rapid reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions is the most important action needed to protect penguins from global climate change. Making additional funds and resources for their study and management. Most importantly, to control the greenhouse gases emitted from industries must be controlled by planting trees surrounding the industrial areas for absorbing the environmental pollution up to a certain limit. In this way, global warming may be controlled.
