Polar heat waves triggered warnings of ice melting and sea-level rise

Polar heat waves persist in the Arctic and Antarctic, and climate scientists worry about the possibility of a rapid collapse of the climate. Temperatures in the southern and Arctic continents are much higher than normal, which may be a sign of catastrophic changes in the two regions

The ice of the earth &mdash— Areas that freeze all or most of the year &mdash— It has been under the pressure of climate warming for decades. The data show that the ice sheet is melting, the ice and snow cover is decreasing, and the polar warming is much faster than the rest of the earth

On March 18, 2022, the temperature in Antarctica is minus 11.8 degrees Celsius, and the normal temperature is usually between minus 50 and minus 60 degrees Celsius. Antarctica is coming out of summer and should enter a rapid cooling period. At the same time, the Arctic is slowly coming out of winter, but the temperature has frozen records in the Svalbard Islands and the Franz Joseph region of Russia

” They are the opposite seasons. You won’t see the north and south poles melt at the same time” Walter &middot, scientist of National Snow and Ice Data Center; Mayer told the associated press“ This is definitely an unusual event”

On a sunny summer night in Ilulissat, Greenland, the huge iceberg of the Jacob port glacier melts in disco Bay.

Eastern Antarctica is one of the coldest and driest places on earth, so the sudden rupture of the kange ice shelf in March is another disturbing indicator. Melting ice and sudden collapse are common in the west, but should be more stable in the east of Antarctica

The sea level may rise several meters from the melting. In February, Antarctic sea ice measurements were at their lowest level since records began in 1979, prompting scientists to confirm that the figure may be entering an overall decline

Rising temperatures in Antarctica over the past decade have made flowering plants grow faster. Among them, Antarctic pearl grass and hair grass have thrived and become more dense in the past 10 years. The researchers say these changes may be part of a step-by-step change in climate warming that will affect plants and animals

For Arctic wildlife, especially polar bears, the future looks increasingly bleak. These bears rely on sea ice to hunt their favorite prey seals, and the large male polar bear seen here seems to be looking incredibly at the other side of the Arctic because his world disappears under his body

The impact of the recent heat wave in the northern Arctic may cause the sea ice there to break up earlier than usual, affecting polar bears. Without sea ice, bears cannot hunt seals, which are their main source of food. Scientists say an ice free Arctic summer may come in 2050

Atmospheric ozone levels seem to affect global and polar warming. This gas is a form of oxygen, which is formed in the lower atmosphere through the chemical reaction between pollutants such as vehicle exhaust gas. Researchers have found that ozone is accumulating in Antarctica because it is drifting from densely populated areas

Scientists are almost certain that 2022 will be among the top 10 hottest on record. United Nations researchers say industrial emissions must fall over the next three years to avoid catastrophic temperature rises. If the melting of the ice sheet accelerates, the world may face rapid and unstoppable sea-level rise