All Arctic ice will melt in the next decade

Colorado: A new study has found that the way climate change is happening, there may come a day in the Arctic in the next decade when the ice will disappear completely. The latest study has been published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. Researchers have said that greenhouse gas emissions are the biggest reason for this. Previous studies have shown that the Arctic could be ice-free by September 2050, when by the end of the century it could be ice-free for several months or even a year.

Researchers at the University of Colorado in the United States have estimated that between 2020 and 2030, Arctic sea ice could become free as late as August or early September. The researchers further said that becoming ice-free does not mean that the ice will disappear completely. The term ice-free is used for a situation where sea ice is less than 1 million square kilometers. In recent years, ice covered an area of ​​3.3 million square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean during September.

Alexander John, associate professor at the University of Colorado and lead author of the study, called the situation dangerous. He said that white heat will completely change the Arctic. The study says we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid long-term ice-free conditions. The researchers also analyzed sea ice coverage data from computational climate models to predict how the Arctic might change in the future.

According to scientists, by 2050 the entire month of September may be free of floating ice. This period of the year is when snow cover is at its lowest in the area. However, by the end of the century, ice-free periods would continue for several months a year. It depends on future gas emissions.

The study warns that the loss of sea ice is having a devastating impact on Arctic animals that depend on sea ice for survival, including seals and polar bears. Additionally, as the sea ice retreats, waves may become larger, endangering the lives of residents.

However, the promising aspect of the study is that this ice will return if the weather cools. It is necessary to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The Greenland ice sheet took thousands of years to retreat, but in contrast, even if sea ice in the Arctic melted completely, it could return within decades if atmospheric carbon dioxide was low.