Sea ice on poles at record low

Recently, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report says that Antarctic sea ice cover recorded a low for a second consecutive year while the Arctic sea ice extent is also at an all-time minimum.

Findings of the report:

• Sea ice levels in Antarctica shrunk to the lowest on record in February 2023 for the second consecutive year.

• Arctic ice is warming more than twice compared of average global warming, causing it to retreat dramatically over 45 years. 
• Scientists are yet to determine whether the occurrence resulted from natural weather fluctuation or the long-term melting trend due to climate change is to be blamed for the same. 

About the Poles:

• The Arctic region: 
  • The Arctic is a polar region located in the northernmost part of Earth.
  • Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover.
  • It consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
• Antarctica: 

• • Antarctica is the world's southernmost continent. 
  • It contains the geographic South Pole, which is located almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

Significance of the ice at poles:

• Radiate Solar heat: The sea ice bounces sunlight back into space thus maintaining the heat budget.

• • To maintain temperature: Radiating sunlight back into space by the sea ice plays a crucial role in maintaining ocean and air temperatures, which is important for the survival of life. 
  • Influence weather conditions: The ice spread influences the global, regional and local weather conditions and vice versa.

Factors responsible for Ice melt events:

• Changes in the amount of air pollution coming from Europe and natural multi-decade climate variations likely play a role.
• But human-caused global warming is the underlying reason that the Arctic, and the planet as a whole, are heating up.
• The Arctic Circle is mostly ocean, which used to be frozen for most or all of the year.
• But permanent sea ice is steadily shrinking, and seasonal ice is melting earlier in the year and re-forming later.
• That means more open water. But while ice is bright and reflects heat from the sun, water is darker and absorbs it.
• That heat helps melt more ice, which means more water to trap more heat – the loop feeds on itself, accelerating warming in the Arctic.
• This feedback loop is largely responsible for what is known as Arctic amplification.

Effect on Arctic and Antarctica:

• Indigenous peoples in both the Arctic and mountain regions have been among the earliest affected.

What is the impact on India?

• Effect on Monsoon: In recent years, scientists have pondered over the impact the changing Arctic can have on the monsoons in the subcontinent.
  • The link between the two is growing in importance due to the extreme weather events the country faces, and the heavy reliance on rainfall for water and food security.
• Sea level rise: According to the World Meteorological Organization’s report, ‘State of Global Climate in 2021’, sea level along the Indian coast is rising faster than the global average rate.
  • One of the primary reasons for this rise is the melting of sea ice in the Polar Regions, especially the Arctic.