Alarming ice melt in Antarctica, hits record low in February 2022

A recent study has found that Antarctic sea ice is at a record low, ice in Antarctica has shrunk below 772,000 square miles for the first time since records began.

While global warming has had devastating effects in the Arctic region, as ice keeps disappearing for years, but Antarctic sea was surprisingly having the opposite effect.

The Antarctic sea has been experiencing modest growth of 1 % in ice since the late 1970s. But, a new study conducted in February has shown that sea levels in the southern hemisphere have hit a record low in 2022.

Antarctic sea ice is at a record low and has shrunk to below 772,000 square miles (2 million kilometres) since records began, a new study has warned

According to a study, the sea level in the Weddell Sea, Bellingshausen Sea and the Amundsen Sea hit a record low of around 30% lower than the average from 1981to 2010.

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University see tout to understand the cause of the case using data from the National Snow and Ice Data centre.

They found out that the cause of the melting is summertime and thermodynamics.

Qinghua Yang, co-author of the study explained, ‘Sea ice is whiter than the dark unfrozen sea, thus there is less reflection of heat and more absorption, which in turn melts more sea ice, producing more absorption of heat, in a vicious cycle.’

The Amundsen Sea is an arm of the Southern Ocean off Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica. The sea is mostly ice-covered, and the Thwaites Ice Tongue protrudes into it

Also Read: Scientists warn about 10ft rise in sea levels amid rapid melts

However, several questions regarding the unprecedented melting are still unanswered.

Jinfei Wang, one of the authors of the paper said, ‘If tropical variability is having such an impact, it’s that location that needs to be studied next.’

The study comes shortly after research revealed that global sea levels could rise as much as 10ft (3 metres) if the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica collapses.

Sea level rises to threaten cities from Shanghai to London, to low-lying swathes of Florida or Bangladesh, and to entire nations such as the Maldives.