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 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 is lost by the Antarctic glaciers every year. According to many scientists, the biggest reason behind the increased ice melt in Antarctica is because of climate change. The warm air, which has changed wind patterns, pushes the warm water toward the ice sheet, causing the melting of the ice.
The warm water is dense and salty, resulting in the warm water sinking 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 the rate of snowfall has increased due to ENSO events, but at the same time, the rate of ice melts has also increased. Research on warm water is still ongoing, and some of the logical reasons for it need to be addressed. There are some complexities to research about the future of this ice melt in Antarctica as it has yet to be discovered where the water is coming from and why it is flowing beneath the cold water. What are the natural processes besides the warm air 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 the 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.
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