Skip to content
The Arctic is experiencing a vast melting of sea ice.
Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn!
Less sea ice means there will be less of that protective cold layer, leading to even more melting.
But something is happening under the ice that scientists don't fully understand.
This magical homemade ice melt is easy to make, too. Chat with us in Facebook Messenger.
Complete melting of the Greenland ice sheet could raise sea levels 23 feet by the year 3000.
80% of the ice movement in and out of the Arctic Ocean happens through here.
But it may prove to be challenging, with some powerhouse nations, including Russia and the US, looking at short term economic gains at the expense of the planet's future.The US has not signed on to the Law of the Sea treaty, the UN guidelines on how countries use our oceans, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently hailed the economic opportunities presented by shrinking levels of sea ice opening up shipping lanes and a wealth of natural resources.
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
The scientists want to learn more about this threat beneath the ice, which could potentially destroy the cycle of life that starts here, and threaten the lives of people all over the planet.
""They photosynthesize and take in CO2 and expel oxygen as part of the process -- which is the oxygen we breathe," he says.They will be further tested later on land, helping us understand how sea ice loss is potentially impacting their ability to take in and sequester CO2.These waters might look barren, but they are hugely productive when it comes to the building blocks of ocean life.The underbelly of the ice teems with zooplankton -- tiny crustaceans that feed on the phytoplankton.
Therefore, conversion of coal into…
"It isolates the ice from the hot devil water sitting at the bottom waiting to come up" Wagner explains.
Ice melt doesn’t just affect sea level, however: the influx of fresh water could change the salinity of the North Atlantic enough to alter weather patterns in North America and affect ocean organisms. History at your fingertips
In this warmer water, away from the ice, they found significantly less phytoplankton.Freshly melted ice not only injects life into the water -- it creates a layer of cold water that protects sea ice above from more melting.
As part of the overall climate change phenomenon, the polar ice caps melting is an effect of trapped greenhouse gas emissions.
In the short term, this creates something of a nutrient injection that jump starts the cycle of life in the ocean.But this April saw a record loss of sea ice across the Arctic. Will it weather Covid-19?A group of South Africans were stuck in China. Causes of Polar Ice Caps Melting.
Throughout the development of early glass, the crucible material was natural clay.
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. A team of interdisciplinary scientists is here on a study facilitated by Greenpeace, at the start of the environmental group's nearly year-long pole-to-pole expedition.
Greenpeace is traveling from the Arctic to the Antarctic to highlight the threats facing our oceans and part of its campaign for ocean sanctuaries.With climate change and melting ice putting more pressure on Arctic sea life, the group wants more of our oceans to be set aside as protected reserves, free from commercial exploitation.Negotiations towards a Global Ocean Treaty at the UN are under way and Greenpeace is part of a broader coalition that is campaigning for legislation that would see 30% of our oceans protected by 2030. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.