08 Sep The zombie Ice

The Zombie Ice

This article talks about how the melting of zombie ice impacts the global environment and climate change.

Why is it in the  News?

• Recently, Scientists predicted that the melting of Zombie Ice will raise the global sea level by 10 inches.

The Zombie Ice

What is Zombie Ice?

• It is also referred to as dead or doomed ice.
• Zombie ice is one that does not accumulate fresh snow even while continuing to be part of the parent ice sheet.
• This type of ice is prone to melting and rising sea levels.

What has led to this?

• This is a result of global warming that has affected the climate already. 
• The study focuses on an equipoise condition where snowfall from the northerly extremes of the Greenland ice cap melts down to the recharge edges of the snow glaciers and hardens them. 
• The study states that over the past several decades there has been less replenishment and more melting.

What will happen next?

• By calculating the minimum committed ice loss based on the ratio of recharge to loss, scientists have projected that 3.3% of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt, and this will happen even if the global temperature is stabilized at the current level.
• Considering that global warming is anticipated to worsen, the melting and its direct impact on the rising sea level could get worse as well. It could climb up to 30 inches if Greenland’s melting record year (2012) works as a regular phenomenon.

What could a 10-inch rise in sea level mean?

• The inescapable rise in the sea level, as predicted by the researchers, is precisely a piece of unpleasant news for millions, who are residing in coastal zones.
• The UN Atlas of Oceans says that 8 out of the 10 world’s largest cities are close to the coast. Increasing sea levels will cause high tides, floods, and storms to occur more frequently. 
• It will lead to threats to local economies and infrastructure.
• The low-lying coastal regions will have to have to bear a harder hit.
• According to the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Risks Report, approximately 800 million people in 570 coastal cities are already endangered by a rise in the sea level by 0.5 meters by 2050.

Source: 

• The Indian Express

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farhin