Sea ice and why it matters
December 19, 2016
There was a time when I wanted to deny that climate change is happening. It feels better to not consider the repercussions for your actions, but the sad truth is it’s happening, and we’re feeling the affects of it on a scale we’ve not experienced in evolution of our species. Is it being led by man-made events? I don’t know, but science is pointing us toward “yes.”
Much of the globe’s climate (and on a smaller scale, weather) is dictated at the poles. The North Pole and South Pole steer a lot of our currents, winds, and overall climate. With the sea ice at these poles decreasing, climate (not weather; the distinction being time) is adjusting on a scale we have never seen.
If we share nothing tangible, we are all affected by weather and climate. Changes in climate affect the food you eat, the medicine you take, what you wear, and in general, how you live.
— Brad Perry
November of this year was the second warmest in modern history, that is since 1880 when modern records started. In 136 years of modern recording, we’ve only seen one warmer November. The North Pole was an insane 36 degrees warmer than normal according to NASA.
Air temperatures are usually measured 2,500 feet above sea level as a standard. According to the Washington Post (citing NASA), these measurements “were above the 1981 to 2010 average over the entire Arctic Ocean and, locally up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above average near the North Pole.”
What’s also alarming is the fact that both the North Pole and South Pole are seeing record lows in sea ice at the same time. As they are on opposite seasons, to see both poles suffering a loss in ice amounts is alarming, and scientists don’t know what to make of it.
Why does all of this matter? If we share nothing tangible, we are all affected by weather and climate. Changes in climate affect the food you eat, the medicine you take, what you wear, and in general, how you live. Ecosystems can and will be destroyed. Habitable zones will shrink. Organisms will go extinct.
We can continue to point fingers. Is it man made? Is it cyclical? What does it matter when it comes down to it? What’s important is to consider that the laws of physics affect nature. For every action you take, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and often, these reactions spread beyond what meets the ice.
