It is indeed not a distant problem but a reality that we are already facing and that is in next three yearssea ice The North Pole could disappear. This prediction comes from a scientific study published in the journal Nature Communications and conducted by alessandra Jahnresearcher at the University of colorado.
The study indicates that the Arctic Ocean could experiance its first day without sea ice when the ice cover less than 1 million square kilometers. Compared to the amount of ice that existed between 1979 and 1922, there is one today 15% less.
Him climate change is the main culprit of this situation. The emissions of greenhouse gasescaused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coalthey have accelerated the melting of Arctic ice by more than 12% every decade.In September 2024the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the sea ice minimum recorded was one of the lowest as 1978, at just 4.28 million square kilometers.
Sea ice is not only a white mass in the ocean,but also plays an critically important role in regulating global climate by reflecting sunlight. Without this icedarker ocean waters would absorb more heat, which would happen would further accelerate global warming.
Celine Heuzéanother researcher involved in the study points out that extreme events such as heat waves They can make this process faster. For example, in March 2022, some areas of the Arctic had temperatures 27°C above the historical average, demonstrating how quickly the ecosystem is changing.
However, scientists believe there is still hope. Jahn points this out if reduce greenhouse gas emissionswe could delay total ice loss and limit how long the Arctic remains ice-free. Unlike continental ice in Greenland or Antarctica, which would take centuries to recover, sea ice could reform in a few decades whether adequate measures will be taken.
The results of this study will be presented December 9th at the annual meeting of the American geophysical Union in Washington DC.
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