Introduction
In this essay, we will discuss the article “Why Are Glaciers Melting from the Bottom? It’s Complicated” written by Chelsea Harvey. This article is about the melting of the ice due to the warm water oceans, and the authors explain in this article some of the possible but controversial reasons that can cause the ice melt of the glaciers.
Discussion
The author discussed that the reason for the melting of ice in these glaciers is not because of the change in climate and the increased temperature of the warm air, rather it is affecting from the warm ocean water which is present beneath these ice glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland. The situation of the melting ice is alarming as the study shows that an area of 80 square miles of the ice sheet has been lost by the Antarctica glaciers every year. According to many scientists, the biggest reason behind the increased ice melt in Antarctica is because of the climate change. The warm air, which has changed wind patterns, is pushing the warm water towards the ice sheet which causes the melt in the ice.
The warm water is dense and salty which results in sinking the warm water deep beneath the cold water. Both the ENSO events (La Niña and El Niño) have cooling and warming effects for the Pacific Ocean, and the climate change by this heat transfer causes the changed wind patterns in Antarctica. According to the studies, the record of rate of snowfall has increased due to ENSO events, but at the same time, the rate of ice melts is also increased. The research on the warm water is still going on and need to address some of the logical reasons for it. There are some complexities to research about the future of this ice melt in Antarctica as it is yet to discover that from where the water is coming and why is it flowing beneath the cold water. What the natural processes besides the warm air are that lead it to melt the ice. All these areas are essential to study, and researchers are working on them to provide the reason behind ice melt in Antarctica.
References
Barlow, S. E., and Dietz, W. H. (1998) Obesity evaluation and treatment: Expert committee recommendations. Pediatrics vol. 102 pp. 222–228.
