Recently a large piece of ice the size of New York City broke off of the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The cracking of the ice shelf started over a year ago and on April 5th the ice bridge linking the island to the mainland shattered and on Friday an ice chunk 270 square miles in size fell into the water. Scientists believe it’s the result of atmospheric global warming. The average temperature in Antarctica has risen 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years. That’s more than 2 degrees above the average global rise. Scientists don’t worry so much about the melting of the shelves because they don’t increase sea levels due to that the ice is floating and most of the ice is already submerged. However, scientist’s fear that without the ice shelves there the vast quantities of ice on the land will begin to move faster towards the ocean. Glacier melting has many negative impacts on the earth. Glacier melting causes global warming as the ice reflects back 80% of sunlight and only 20% is absorbed. When the glaciers are gone the numbers are reversed. Other impacts include fresh water shortage, reduced agricultural output, excessive flooding, rise in sea level, coral reefs will vanish, and loss of habitat.
Glacial melting is evidence that global warming is real and that people need to make everyday changes in order to preserve the future of the planet. There are many simple things that people can do to help prevent further global warming. These things include eliminating drafts in your home which can lead to more energy use, reduce wasted electricity by eliminating phantom loads, use more energy efficient light bulbs, and turn down your water heater. All these steps play a part in reducing the amount of individual greenhouse gases we are each responsible for. The steps are easy to do and good for the environment.
--Richard Tripp
