The recent episode of "Climate Now" showed a closer look at melting ice and rising sea levels to understand further the real occurrence as the poles of the earth warms. Initial, though, is an assembly of the latest climate data for October from the Copernicus Climate Change.
Recent reports said, over Europe in general, October was the warmest month on record with 1.6-degrees Celsius temperatures over the average from 1981 to 2010.
Western Europe was reported wetter and extremely stormy as well, with Storm Alex sweeping through the region, leading to destruction, flooding, and fatalities in Italy, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and Italy.
In addition, the climate data reflected the impacts of the storm, with the locations experiencing more rainfall compared to the average last month. Nonetheless, in places like Ukraine, Caucasus, and western Russia, the same month was said to be drier compared to the average.
Effects of Melting Ice
The data also showed, melting ice in the Arctic does not cause a rise in sea levels as the ice being referred to is sea ice, and it is found to be floating already on the Arctic ocean.
Nevertheless, data showed that melting ice "on land, on glaciers on Greenland and Antarctica" indeed raises sea levels. This, it was found, is an accelerating phenomenon. Levels have been gauged exactly from space using satellites since the early 90s and are increasing by an average of 3.3 millimeters each year.
The rate, though, in the last five years, has been five millimeters each year. Furthermore, the majority of the rise is because of the melting ice, while roughly one-third because of the oceans' thermal expansion as the water warms.
Disappearing Ice From the Antarctic and Greenland
Ice is seen vanishing from the Antarctic and Greenland, and, according to experts, the big question is how fast these glaciers are melting and how it can impact the sea levels.
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research professor of dynamics of the climate system, Anders Levermann has simulated the manner sea levels are likely to rise as Antarctica melts.
His concerning predictions presented that the one-degree Celsius of global warming already existing in the Earth system will "eventually raise sea levels by" 2.5 meters.
His estimates do not put a time scale on that particular forecast, although it is likely to be hundreds of years from the present time.
He talks through what transpires as his simulations raise the warming impact, which is the "first thing that happens in Antarctica," and that is, in fact, happening currently is that West Antarctica turns out to be unstable "and we lose ice from West Antarctica."
Raised Sea Levels
For coastal cities worldwide, Levermann explained, the effect will be devastating. He elaborated, if "we reach four degrees by the end of the century," a 'business-as-usual scenario,' this then means a rise in global sea level of higher than 10 meters in the very long term.
Meaning, he continued, there will be a need to abandon coastal cities such as New York, New Orleans, Rotterdam, and Hamburg.
Check out more news and information on the Arctic on Science Times.
