Dear MEL School’s
Topic Readers,
5 Myths About
Antarctic Melt
While having more
sea ice around western Antarctica, the total ice mass is declining. Why?
It’s because when
the amount of ice in Antarctica is mentioned, it refers the ice on the
continent, namely glaciers, not the sea ice that melts in summer. Thus, more
sea ice around Antarctica means more melted water in the sea that could raise
the sea levels. In other words, if the glaciers on Antarctica retreats, more
sea ice is formed around the continent that melts and raises sea levels. This
is very much opposite from the other side of the globe where sea ice stays
throughout the year, which means that the shrinkage of the sea ice in Arctic
area raises sea levels.
Enjoy reading and
learning why the loss of glacier ice in the westernmost Antarctica matters the
most to the rise of sea levels.
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