According to a number of foreign researchers, the situation in Antarctica has become so threatening that it is time to ring all the bells: the data received from satellites irrefutably testify to the catastrophic melting of ice in the territory of West Antarctica. If this continues, glaciologists are convinced, in the near future these glaciers will disappear altogether.
Some of them are shrinking their area at a rate of one to two kilometers per year. But in general, according to measurements received from the CryoSat satellite of the European Space Agency, the ice cover of the Sixth Continent is losing weight by two centimeters every year. At the same time, according to the Air Force, Antarctica is losing about 160 billion ice a year - now the rate of ice melting is already twice as high as four years ago. NASA experts called the Amundsen Sea area the most vulnerable point, where in the six largest glaciers the melting process can already slow down.
The influential Western journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters published a study that proved that as a result of the melting of Antarctica, the earth's crust is deformed at a depth of 400 km. “Despite the fact that the Antarctic ice sheet is growing at a rate of 15 mm per year,” they explain, “in general, deep below the ice shelves, there is active melting due to global warming and changes in chemical composition the earth's crust in the Antarctic region. This process entered a critical phase in the late 1990s. And then there's the ozone hole, which also has a bad effect on the Antarctic climate.
How does this threaten us? As a result, the level of the world's oceans can rise by 1.2 meters or even more in a short time. Strong evaporation and a huge amount of water condensation will give rise to powerful typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters, many land areas will be flooded. Mankind cannot change the situation. In short, save who can!
"AiF" decided to interview Russian scientists: when exactly will the world be covered by a wave? According to them, it's not so bad. “If a significant rise in the level of the world ocean does occur, then it will not happen tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow,” AiF explained. Alexander Nakhutin, Deputy Director of the Institute for Global Climate and Ecology of Roshydromet and the Russian Academy of Sciences. - The melting of the Antarctic and Greenland glaciers is a very inertial process, slow even by geological standards. Its consequences, at best, will only be seen by our descendants. And then, if the glaciers melt completely. And it will take not a year or two, but a hundred years or more.
There is also a more positive version. The “global” melting of glaciers has nothing to do with the whole of Antarctica, says Nikolai Osokin, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Deputy Head of the Department of Glaciology at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. — Perhaps the melting of six glaciers in the Amundsen Sea is really irreversible, and they will not recover. Well, no big deal! West Antarctica, the smallest part of the mainland last years melted really noticeably. However, in general, the process of active melting of glaciers in Antarctica over the past few years, on the contrary, has slowed down. There is a lot of evidence for this. In the same West Antarctica, for example, the Russian station "Bellingshausen" is located. According to our observations, there is an improvement in the nutrition of glaciers in this area - more snow falls than melts.
Turns out it's not time to ring the bells yet. “In the atlas of snow and ice resources of the world, released by the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there is a map: what would happen if all the glaciers on Earth melted at once. It is very popular,” Osokin laughs. - Many journalists use it as a horror story: look, they say, what kind of universal flood awaits us when the level of the world ocean rises as much as 64 meters ... But this is a purely hypothetical possibility. In the next century and even the millennium, this does not threaten us.”
By the way, as a result of studying the ice core in Antarctica, Russian glaciologists have established interesting fact. It turns out that over the past 800 thousand years on Earth, cooling and warming regularly replace each other. “As a result of warming, glaciers are retreating, melting, the level of the world ocean is rising. And then the reverse process occurs - there is a cooling, glaciers are growing, the ocean level is falling. This has happened at least 8 times already. And now we are just at the peak of warming. This means that in the coming centuries, the Earth, and with it humanity, will move towards a new ice age. This is normal and is associated with the eternal processes of oscillation. earth's axis, its tilt, changes in the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
Meanwhile, the situation with ice in the Arctic is much more unambiguous: they are melting an order of magnitude faster and more globally than the Antarctic. “Over the past ten years, there have already been several records for the minimum area sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, Osokin recalls. “The general trend is towards a decrease in the area of ice in the entire North.”
Can humanity, if it wants to, slow down the general warming or cooling? To what extent does anthropogenic activity influence the melting of ice? “If it does, then most likely to a very small extent,” Osokin believes. — main reason that glaciers are melting are natural factors.” So we just have to wait, hope and believe. For the best, of course."
What will happen if the glaciers of Antarctica melt?
Antarctica is the least explored continent located in the south of the world. Most of its surface has an ice cover, up to 4.8 km thick. The Antarctic ice sheet contains 90% (!) of all the ice on our planet. It is so heavy that under it the mainland sank almost 500 m. Today, the world is seeing the first signs of global warming in Antarctica: large glaciers collapse, new lakes appear, and the soil loses its ice cover. Let's simulate the situation, what will happen if Antarctica loses its ice.
How will Antarctica itself change?
Today the area of Antarctica is 14,107,000 km². If the glaciers melt, these numbers will drop by a third. The mainland will become almost unrecognizable. Under the ice are numerous mountain ranges and massifs. The western part will definitely become an archipelago, and the eastern part will remain the mainland, although, given the rise of ocean waters, it will not hold such a status for a long time.
At the moment, many representatives of flora: flowers, ferns, lichens, algae, and recent times their diversity is gradually increasing. There are also fungi and some bacteria, and seals and penguins occupy the coast. Already now, on the same Antarctic Peninsula, the appearance of tundra is observed, and scientists are sure that with warming there will be both trees and new representatives of the animal world. By the way, Antarctica holds several records: the lowest recorded temperature on Earth is 89.2 degrees below zero; there is the largest crater on Earth; the strongest and longest winds. Today there is no permanent population in Antarctica. There are only employees of scientific stations, and sometimes tourists visit it. With climate change, the former cold mainland may become suitable for permanent human habitation, but now it is difficult to talk about this with certainty - everything will depend on the current climatic situation.
How will the world change due to the melting of glaciers?
Rising water levels in the world's oceans So, scientists have calculated that after the melting of the ice cover, the level of the world's oceans will rise by almost 60 meters. And this is a lot and will be equated with a global catastrophe. Coastline will move significantly, and today's coastal zone of the continents will be under water.
If we talk about Russia, then its central part will not suffer much. In particular, Moscow is located 130 meters above the current sea level, so the flood will not reach it. Such will go under the water big cities like Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, Novgorod and Makhachkala. Crimea will turn into an island - only its mountainous part will rise above the sea. And in the Krasnodar Territory, only Novorossiysk, Anapa and Sochi will be heated. Siberia and the Urals will not be subjected to too much flooding - mainly residents of coastal areas will have to be relocated settlements.
The Black Sea will grow - in addition to the northern part of the Crimea and Odessa, it will also clean up Istanbul. Signed cities that will be under water The Baltic States, Denmark and Holland will almost completely disappear. In general, European cities such as London, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam and Copenhagen will go under water along with everything cultural heritage, so while there is time, be sure to visit them and upload photos to Instagram, because your grandchildren will most likely not be able to do this anymore. The Americans will also have a hard time, who will definitely be left without Washington, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and many other large coastal cities.
What will happen to North America. Signed cities that will be under water
The climate will already undergo unpleasant changes that will lead to the melting of the ice sheet. According to environmentalists, the ice of Antarctica, Antarctica and those that are on mountain peaks help maintain the temperature balance on the planet, cooling its atmosphere. Without them, this balance will be upset. The influx of a large amount of fresh water into the world's oceans will certainly affect the direction of major ocean currents, which largely determine climatic conditions in many regions. So it is not yet possible to say with certainty what will become of our weather.
Quantity natural Disasters will increase significantly. Hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes will claim thousands of lives. Paradoxically, but due to global warming, some countries will begin to experience a shortage of fresh water. And not only because of the arid climate. The fact is that deposits of snow in the mountains provide vast territories with water, and after it melts, there will be no such benefit anymore.
Economy
All this will greatly affect the economy, even if the process of flooding is gradual. Take the US and China, for example! Whether you like it or not, these countries greatly influence the economic situation around the world. In addition to the problem of displacing tens of millions of people and losing their capital, the states will lose almost a quarter of their manufacturing capacity, which will ultimately hit the global economy. And China will be forced to say goodbye to its huge trading ports, which will reduce the flow of products to the world market at times.
How are things today?
Some scientists reassure us that the observed melting of glaciers is normal, because. somewhere they disappear, and somewhere they are formed, and thus the balance is maintained. Others point out that there are still reasons for concern, and provide convincing evidence.
Not so long ago, British scientists analyzed 50 million satellite images of the Antarctic ice sheets and came to the conclusion that they are melting very rapidly. In particular, the gigantic Totten glacier, comparable in size to the territory of France, causes concern. The researchers noticed that it was washed away by warm salty waters, accelerating its decay. According to forecasts, this glacier can raise the level of the World Ocean by as much as 2 meters. It is assumed that the Larsen B glacier will collapse by 2020. And he, by the way, as much as 12,000 years.
According to the BBC, Antarctica loses as much as 160 billion ice a year. And this number is growing rapidly. Scientists say they did not expect such a rapid melting of the southern ice.
The most unpleasant thing is that the process of melting glaciers has an even greater effect on the increase in the greenhouse effect. The fact is that the ice sheets of our planet reflect part of the sunlight. Without this, heat will linger in the Earth's atmosphere in large volumes, thereby raising the average temperature. And the growing area of the World Ocean, whose waters collect heat, will only aggravate the situation. Besides a large number of melt water also adversely affects glaciers. Thus, the ice reserves, not only in Antarctica, but throughout the globe, are melting faster and faster, which ultimately threatens with big problems.
Conclusion
Opinions of scientists about the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet are very different, but what is known for certain is that man, through his activities, greatly affects the climate. If humanity does not solve the problem of global warming in the next 100 years, then the process will be inevitable.
It is always interesting to imagine very improbable, but in principle real things. What would happen if all the ice on Earth, which is more than 20 million cubic kilometers, melted?
National Geographic created a series interactive maps, which demonstrate what catastrophic consequences would occur on our planet. The melted ice, which would have entered the oceans and seas, would have led to a sea level rise of 65 meters. It would engulf cities and countries, changing general form continents and coastlines, wiping entire populations off the face of the earth.
Scientists believe it will take about 5,000 years for temperatures to rise enough to melt all the ice on Earth. However, a start has already been made.
Behind last century, the temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.5 degrees Celsius, and this has led to a sea level rise of 17 cm.
If we continue to burn coal, oil and gas reserves, the average temperature on our planet will reach 26.6 degrees Celsius instead of today's 14.4 degrees Celsius.
So let's see what will become of the continents...
In Europe, cities like London and Venice will be under water. It will also flood the Netherlands and most of Denmark. The Mediterranean Sea will expand and increase the size of the Black and Caspian Seas.
In Asia, China and Bangladesh will be flooded, and more than 760 million people will be under water. Among the destroyed cities will be: Karachi, Baghdad, Dubai, Calcutta, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Beijing. The coast of India will also decrease significantly.
In North America, the entire Atlantic coastline in the US will disappear along with Florida and the Gulf Coast. In California, the hills of San Francisco will turn into islands, and the California Valley will become a huge bay.
AT South America The Amazonian lowland and the Paraguay River basin will become the straits of the Atlantic Ocean, wiping out Buenos Aires, coastal Uruguay and part of Paraguay.
Compared to other continents, Africa will lose less land mass due to rising sea levels. However, rising temperatures will lead to the fact that most of it will become uninhabitable. In Egypt, Alexandria and Cairo will be flooded by the Mediterranean Sea.
Australia will have a continental sea, but it will lose most of the narrow coastal strip where 4 out of 5 Australians live.
In Antarctica, what was once land ice will no longer be ice or land. This will happen because under the ice there is a continental relief, which is below sea level.
What does Antarctica look like without ice?
Antarctica is the largest ice sheet in the world, but what is under it?
Scientists from NASA have shown the surface of Antarctica, which has been hidden under a thick layer of ice for more than 30 million years. In a project called BedMap2, researchers calculated the total amount of ice in Antarctica to predict sea level rise in the future. To do this, they needed to know the underlying topography, including wide valleys and hidden mountain ranges.
Some of the most impressive discoveries in Antarctica were the deepest point of all continents, the valley below the Byrd Glacier, which is located at a distance of 2780 meters below sea level. The scientists also received the first detailed images of the Gamburtsev Mountains, which are under a 1.6-kilometer layer of ice.
The new map is based on surface elevation, ice thickness and base topography, which were taken using land, air and satellite surveys. Scientists have also used radar, sound waves and electromagnetic tools to map.
Antarctica is the least explored continent located in the south of the world. Most of its surface has an ice cover, up to 4.8 km thick. The Antarctic ice sheet contains 90% (!) of all the ice on our planet. It is so heavy that under it the mainland sank almost 500 m. Today, the world is seeing the first signs of global warming in Antarctica: large glaciers are collapsing, new lakes are appearing, and the soil is losing its ice cover. Let's simulate the situation, what will happen if Antarctica loses its ice.
How will Antarctica itself change?
Today the area of Antarctica is 14,107,000 km². If the glaciers melt, these numbers will drop by a third. The mainland will become almost unrecognizable. Under the ice are numerous mountain ranges and massifs. The western part will definitely become an archipelago, and the eastern part will remain the mainland, although, given the rise of ocean waters, it will not hold such a status for a long time.
This is what Antarctica will look like. The current territory is outlined At the moment, many representatives of the plant world are found on the Antarctic Peninsula, islands and coastal oases: flowers, ferns, lichens, algae, and recently their diversity has been gradually increasing. There are also fungi and some bacteria, and seals and penguins occupy the coast. Already now, on the same Antarctic Peninsula, the appearance of tundra is observed, and scientists are sure that with warming there will be both trees and new ones.
By the way, Antarctica holds several records: the lowest recorded temperature on Earth is 89.2 degrees below zero; there is the largest crater on Earth; the strongest and longest winds.
Today there is no permanent population in Antarctica. There are only employees of scientific stations, and sometimes tourists visit it. With climate change, the former cold continent may become suitable for permanent human habitation, but now it is difficult to talk about this with certainty - everything will depend on the current climatic situation.
How will the world change due to the melting of glaciers?
Rising water levels in the world's oceans
So, scientists have calculated that after the ice sheet melts, The sea level will rise by almost 60 meters. And this is a lot and will be equated with a global catastrophe. The coastline will shift significantly, and today's coastal zone of the continents will be under water.
A great flood awaits many of the paradises of our planet If we talk, then its central part will not suffer much. In particular, Moscow is located 130 meters above the current sea level, so the flood will not reach it. Such large cities as Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, Novgorod and Makhachkala will go under water. Crimea will turn into an island - only its mountainous part will rise above the sea. And in the Krasnodar Territory, only Novorossiysk, Anapa and Sochi will be flooded. Siberia and the Urals will not be subjected to too much flooding - mostly residents of coastal settlements will have to be relocated.
The Black Sea will grow - in addition to the northern part of the Crimea and Odessa, it will also clean up Istanbul. Signed cities that will be under water The Baltic states, Denmark and Holland will almost completely disappear. In general, European cities such as London, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam and Copenhagen will go under water along with all their cultural heritage, so while there is time, be sure to visit them and upload photos to Instagram, because your grandchildren will most likely already do this they won't be able to.
The Americans will also have a hard time, who will definitely be left without Washington, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and many other large coastal cities.
What will happen to North America. Signed cities that will be under water Climate
The climate will already undergo unpleasant changes that will lead to the melting of the ice sheet. According to environmentalists, the ice of Antarctica, Antarctica and those that are on mountain peaks help maintain the temperature balance on the planet, cooling its atmosphere. Without them, this balance will be upset.
The influx of large amounts of fresh water into the world's oceans will certainly affect direction of major ocean currents, which largely determine the climatic conditions in many regions. So it is not yet possible to say with certainty what will become of our weather.
The number of natural disasters will increase significantly. Hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes will claim thousands of lives. Paradoxically, due to global warming, some countries will begin to experience lack of fresh water. And not only because of the arid climate. The fact is that deposits of snow in the mountains provide vast territories with water, and after it melts, there will be no such benefit anymore.
Economy
All this will greatly affect the economy, even if the process of flooding is gradual. Take the US and China, for example! Whether you like it or not, these countries greatly influence the economic situation around the world. In addition to the problem of displacing tens of millions of people and losing their capital, the states will lose almost a quarter of their manufacturing capacity, which will ultimately hit the global economy. And China will be forced to say goodbye to its huge trading ports, which will reduce the flow of products to the world market at times.
How are things today?
Some scientists reassure us that the observed melting of glaciers is normal, because. somewhere they disappear, and somewhere they are formed, and thus the balance is maintained. Others point out that there are still reasons for concern, and provide convincing evidence.
Not so long ago, British scientists analyzed 50 million satellite images of the Antarctic ice sheets and came to the conclusion that their melting is very fast. In particular, the gigantic Totten glacier, comparable in size to the territory of France, causes concern. The researchers noticed that it was washed away by warm salty waters, accelerating its decay. According to forecasts, this glacier can raise the level of the World Ocean by as much as 2 meters. It is assumed that the Larsen B glacier will collapse by 2020. And he, by the way, as much as 12,000 years.
According to the BBC, Antarctica loses as much as 160 billion tons of ice every year. And this number is growing rapidly. Scientists say they did not expect such a rapid melting of the southern ice.
By the way, the name "Antarctica" means "opposite the Arctic" or "opposite the north."
The most annoying thing is that the process of melting glaciers further increases the greenhouse effect. The fact is that the ice sheets of our planet reflect part of the sunlight. Without this, heat will linger in the Earth's atmosphere in large volumes, thereby raising the average temperature. And the growing area of the World Ocean, whose waters collect heat, will only aggravate the situation. In addition, a large amount of melt water also adversely affects glaciers. Thus, the ice reserves, not only in Antarctica, but throughout the globe, are melting faster and faster, which ultimately threatens with big problems.
