NASA
Antarctica has given the world another display that is symptomatic with the telltale signs of climate change, as an island lost 20 percent of its snow cover in only nine days and marks the second major temperature event that occurred in the Antarctic this month.
A heatwave that spanned nine days had a devastating effect on Antarctica’s northern tip earlier this month, causing 1/5 of an Antarctic island’s snow cover melted away, new images released by NASA show.
It’s becoming harder and harder to deny climate change as the symptoms continue to reveal themselves. Nowhere is this more apparent than on an island in Antarctica which saw 20 percent of its snow cover melt away in only nine days.
The loss of ice and snow in Antarctica is becoming an increasingly common manifestation and an abnormality that is a troubling signpost of a burgeoning climate crisis.
This is the second sign of profound changes in the Antarctic occurring within the same time period.
Earlier this month, scientists recorded the warmest day on record, or temperatures peaked at 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
For comparison, Los Angeles, California, recorded the same temperature on that day, according to NASA.
Researchers say the amount of meltwater that reached the oceans from the Peninsula was the highest contributor to rising sea levels this summer.
Antarctica is one of the coldest places on earth. Scientists say that while these kinds of melting events are seen in other northern locations such as Alaska and Greenland, they aren’t normally seen in Antarctica and are quite rare – even during the summer.
Scientists say that the kind of sustained temperatures that occurred in Antarctica this month almost never occurred on the continent until the 21st century.
And as global temperatures rise, scientists fear that such events will become increasingly common.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, heat-trapping gas pollution from humans, namely fossil fuels, is driving the rise in global temperatures.
The anticipated effect from all this will be rising sea levels around the world which could have devastating effects on the millions of people who live along coastlines.
Not only will it have disastrous ramifications for those living along the world’s coastlines, but the everyday lives of people will be further disrupted by the effect that it has on employment and business payroll solutions.
Not only will people potentially lose their homes, but possibly their jobs and livelihoods.
