Could More Snow in Antarctica Slow Sea Level Rise?
I found this article very interesting as it potentially has an affect on every living organism on the planet! It is important for us to know about as well. This article explains that in East Antarctica, there has been higher volumes of snowfall which is then packed into ice. The question is, will this increase the rate of sea level rise or not? The article argues that the higher amounts of snowfall in the east could potentially decrease the amount of ice melt occurring in the west. Scientists say that Antarctica has potential for over 200 feet of sea level rise upon the melting of its ice. With that being said, it would be comforting if the increased amount of snowfall in the east did prevent higher levels of ice melt in the west because this would maintain the storage of water in Antarctica and not contribute to such drastic sea level rise.
A scientific team recently proved that there is 25% higher snowfall levels in east Antarctica today than there was 2000 years ago. The article talks about how the true question is how the higher amounts of snowfall compare with the amount of ice melt. The two can potentially maintain themselves equal creating oceans that are not rising or shrinking but what happens when one of the two goes out of balance to a point that it can effect the amount of ice melt drastically? Today it seems that the amount of ice surging into the sea and glacier ice falling into the sea far outdoes the amount of increased snowfall. This trend will lead to higher sea levels and less icy shelves in Antarctica.
Over years of studies, it has been found that huge sheets of ice slowly slide downhill from land to sea and extend out into the water as ice shelves. Increase in snowfall can potentially create more ice to slide into the sea which would have a similar effect as adding ice to a glass of water. The water level would rise. Not only has it been shown that the added amount of snowfall will add to the amount of ice sliding into the sea, but would also increase the rate of the sliding ice so that it would reach the water quicker and speed up the process.
Later in the article, they discuss how the high winds found in the regions of Antarctica can have an effect as well as some of the snowfall never reaches the ground as it literally disappears in the wind. The warmer climate would only increase the effect of the wind. Shortly after this discussion, I found something very interesting in a study that was performed in Greenland. Greenland seems to be a place that is warming up at a faster rate than others. A study was performed on the icicles that are found in Greenland. The increase in temperature is having an impact on the snow crystals. With the warmer temperatures, the snow crystals seem to be merging together to create larger grains than normal. This is causing the crystals to have a worse ability to reflect the suns rays which makes them absorb more light and heat and thus, melt faster. This added snowfall in Antarctica could potentially lead to a similar outcome as the temperature gradually continues to increase.
At the end of the day, these studies have been shown to be real but are not proven to have a firm hold in Antarctica and are more told as potential outcomes up to this point. Scientists cannot determine surely if the added snowfall in Antarctica would actually increase the amount of Sea level increase or not but it is something that needs to be watched! And one scientist ends the article by saying, "Antarctica is a sleeping giant, and it's waking up very quickly." This article discusses a potentially life changing occurrence throughout the world. It is important to know that these studies are going on and that we may end up needing to make sure we are involved in the knowledge of them as we may play part in the larger scale of things!
I found this article very interesting as it potentially has an affect on every living organism on the planet! It is important for us to know about as well. This article explains that in East Antarctica, there has been higher volumes of snowfall which is then packed into ice. The question is, will this increase the rate of sea level rise or not? The article argues that the higher amounts of snowfall in the east could potentially decrease the amount of ice melt occurring in the west. Scientists say that Antarctica has potential for over 200 feet of sea level rise upon the melting of its ice. With that being said, it would be comforting if the increased amount of snowfall in the east did prevent higher levels of ice melt in the west because this would maintain the storage of water in Antarctica and not contribute to such drastic sea level rise.
A scientific team recently proved that there is 25% higher snowfall levels in east Antarctica today than there was 2000 years ago. The article talks about how the true question is how the higher amounts of snowfall compare with the amount of ice melt. The two can potentially maintain themselves equal creating oceans that are not rising or shrinking but what happens when one of the two goes out of balance to a point that it can effect the amount of ice melt drastically? Today it seems that the amount of ice surging into the sea and glacier ice falling into the sea far outdoes the amount of increased snowfall. This trend will lead to higher sea levels and less icy shelves in Antarctica.
Over years of studies, it has been found that huge sheets of ice slowly slide downhill from land to sea and extend out into the water as ice shelves. Increase in snowfall can potentially create more ice to slide into the sea which would have a similar effect as adding ice to a glass of water. The water level would rise. Not only has it been shown that the added amount of snowfall will add to the amount of ice sliding into the sea, but would also increase the rate of the sliding ice so that it would reach the water quicker and speed up the process.
Later in the article, they discuss how the high winds found in the regions of Antarctica can have an effect as well as some of the snowfall never reaches the ground as it literally disappears in the wind. The warmer climate would only increase the effect of the wind. Shortly after this discussion, I found something very interesting in a study that was performed in Greenland. Greenland seems to be a place that is warming up at a faster rate than others. A study was performed on the icicles that are found in Greenland. The increase in temperature is having an impact on the snow crystals. With the warmer temperatures, the snow crystals seem to be merging together to create larger grains than normal. This is causing the crystals to have a worse ability to reflect the suns rays which makes them absorb more light and heat and thus, melt faster. This added snowfall in Antarctica could potentially lead to a similar outcome as the temperature gradually continues to increase.
At the end of the day, these studies have been shown to be real but are not proven to have a firm hold in Antarctica and are more told as potential outcomes up to this point. Scientists cannot determine surely if the added snowfall in Antarctica would actually increase the amount of Sea level increase or not but it is something that needs to be watched! And one scientist ends the article by saying, "Antarctica is a sleeping giant, and it's waking up very quickly." This article discusses a potentially life changing occurrence throughout the world. It is important to know that these studies are going on and that we may end up needing to make sure we are involved in the knowledge of them as we may play part in the larger scale of things!
Hall, S. (2018, February 23). Scientific American.
Retrieved from Could More Snow in Antarctica Slow Sea Level Rise?:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-more-snow-in-antarctica-slow-sea-level-rise/
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