Sea Ice in Antarctica Falls to Record Lows
2023-08-13
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1Sea ice in the Antarctic area fell to a record low this year.
2The drop is a result of rising temperatures worldwide.
3And there is no quick fix to make up for the damage, scientists said recently in a new study.
4Antarctica's minimum summer ice cover, which last year dropped below 2 million square kilometers for the first time since satellite monitoring began in 1978,
5fell further to a new low in February.
6The scientists' findings appeared in the publication Frontiers in Environmental Science.
7Anna Hogg of the University of Leeds in Britain was one of the study's co-writers.
8When speaking about the melting icebergs and shelves, she said "It's going to take decades if not centuries for these things to recover. There's no quick fix to replacing this ice."
9She told a group of reporters, "It will certainly take a long time, even if it's possible."
10This year's sea ice minimum is 20 percent lower than the average over the last 40 years.
11The sea ice loss represents an area nearly 10 times that of New Zealand, said Tim Naish of the Antarctic Research Center at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington.
12Naish was not part of the study.
13Naish added that in some cases we are getting close to important large changes that could lead to serious consequences for future generations.
14The warming of Earth's surface driven by the burning of fossil fuels has made Antarctica more likely to suffer from extreme events.
15And the effect is almost "certain" to get worse, the study said.
16Climate change will "lead to increases in the size and frequency" of heatwaves, ice shelf collapses and declines in sea ice, it said.
17The study drew on recent evidence from scientific studies of the Antarctic Ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere.
18The exact effects of climate change on Antarctica and the surrounding ocean have been uncertain.
19Scientists have had problems measuring how much the Earth's warming is affecting the thickness of Antarctic ice.
20But from events such as the fast decline in sea ice, it is "scientifically reasonable" to assume that extreme events are going to become worse as temperatures rise worldwide, said Martin Siegert of the University of Exeter, another study co-writer.
21Last year, an "atmospheric river" coming from Australia pushed heat and moisture into Antarctica.
22The result was temperatures up to 38.5 Celsius above normal, the largest variance from the norm the world has ever experienced.
23Siegert described the temperature increase as "absolutely astonishing."
24Siegert added that if the event had happened during the Antarctic summer, instead of winter, it would have caused melting on the surface of the East Antarctic ice sheet, which has so far been saved from melting.
25Siegert used the term fragile, meaning easily broken or damaged, to describe Antarctica.
26"Antarctica is fragile as an environment, but extreme events test that fragility," he said.
27"What we're deeply concerned about is the increase in intensity and frequency of extreme events and the .... influences that they have in other areas."
28I'm John Russell.
1Sea ice in the Antarctic area fell to a record low this year. The drop is a result of rising temperatures worldwide. And there is no quick fix to make up for the damage, scientists said recently in a new study. 2Antarctica's minimum summer ice cover, which last year dropped below 2 million square kilometers for the first time since satellite monitoring began in 1978, fell further to a new low in February. 3The scientists' findings appeared in the publication Frontiers in Environmental Science. 4Anna Hogg of the University of Leeds in Britain was one of the study's co-writers. When speaking about the melting icebergs and shelves, she said "It's going to take decades if not centuries for these things to recover. There's no quick fix to replacing this ice." 5She told a group of reporters, "It will certainly take a long time, even if it's possible." 6This year's sea ice minimum is 20 percent lower than the average over the last 40 years. The sea ice loss represents an area nearly 10 times that of New Zealand, said Tim Naish of the Antarctic Research Center at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington. Naish was not part of the study. 7Naish added that in some cases we are getting close to important large changes that could lead to serious consequences for future generations. 8The warming of Earth's surface driven by the burning of fossil fuels has made Antarctica more likely to suffer from extreme events. And the effect is almost "certain" to get worse, the study said. 9Climate change will "lead to increases in the size and frequency" of heatwaves, ice shelf collapses and declines in sea ice, it said. 10The study drew on recent evidence from scientific studies of the Antarctic Ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere. 11The exact effects of climate change on Antarctica and the surrounding ocean have been uncertain. Scientists have had problems measuring how much the Earth's warming is affecting the thickness of Antarctic ice. 12But from events such as the fast decline in sea ice, it is "scientifically reasonable" to assume that extreme events are going to become worse as temperatures rise worldwide, said Martin Siegert of the University of Exeter, another study co-writer. 13Last year, an "atmospheric river" coming from Australia pushed heat and moisture into Antarctica. The result was temperatures up to 38.5 Celsius above normal, the largest variance from the norm the world has ever experienced. 14Siegert described the temperature increase as "absolutely astonishing." Siegert added that if the event had happened during the Antarctic summer, instead of winter, it would have caused melting on the surface of the East Antarctic ice sheet, which has so far been saved from melting. 15Siegert used the term fragile, meaning easily broken or damaged, to describe Antarctica. 16"Antarctica is fragile as an environment, but extreme events test that fragility," he said. "What we're deeply concerned about is the increase in intensity and frequency of extreme events and the .... influences that they have in other areas." 17I'm John Russell. 18David Stanway reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19___________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21monitor -- v. to watch or observe for a special purpose over a period of time 22shelf -- n. a flat area of rock, sand, etc., especially underwater 23decade - n. a period of 10 years 24consequence -- n. something that happens as a result of an action 25fossil fuel -- n. a fuel (such as coal or oil) that is formed in the earth from dead plants or animals 26certain - adj. used to say that something will definitely happen 27frequency - n. the number of times that something happens during a particular period 28variance - n. an amount of difference or change 29astonishing - adj. causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder