The Great Icescape (Rough)

Have you ever looked at a satellite picture of the earth and noticed the white mass at the top of the world in the Arctic Ocean? Well, if you looked at picture ten years ago and then compared it the same picture last year you would be astonished at how much this mass shrunk. According to scientists the current rate of decline in end-of-summer Arctic ice is now approximately eight per cent per decade. If these rates remain at the pace they are currently at then the Arctic could be completely ice-free in the summertime by the end of the century (CTV.ca). Now by this time you are probably wondering what is causing this tragedy and why in the hell should we care? It’s not like we live anywhere close to it, there is now way it will affect us. Wrong! In fact, we are the primary reason the ice is melting so fast and recently we have been feeling the effects of it. Our increase in using fossil fuels is causing an emission of greenhouse gases that cause the dreaded “Global Warming!” There has been a direct correlation in that, the Arctic summers have increased by two to three degrees Celsius and their springtime has arrived as early as 17 days earlier (Science Daily). This is fatal because summer time ice, when it melts, refreezes in the wintertime but so much of this ice is melting and that it’s not turning back into ice at all.

Before I explain why this ice melting means bad news for the world I’d like to argue why I believe that global warming is to blame for this. I plan to achieve this by discrediting some other possibilities that have been looked at as a reason for Arctic sea ice melting. The first is the chain of volcanoes in the Gakkel Ridge that have been active and erupting since 1999. This is conveniently, the same year that the ice has started its record setting melting pace. Here’s the catch, according to scientist Peter Winsor, who works for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, responsible for the first ever visual exploration of this volcanic chain. The volcanoes are located 4000 meters under the top of the surface of the Arctic Ocean where the ice actually sits. When the volcanoes erupt they secret lava slowly rather than explode with ashes and gases like the ones on land do. The lava and the heat only make it about 500 – 1000 meters from the ocean floor constantly mixing with cold waters (Winsor). Therefore, the heat never reaches the ice and incidentally isn’t factored in when we talk about the rapid melting of the ice.

The second theory is that southern, warmer winds have blown the ice masses into warmer waters and the ice has rapidly melted this way. Scientists who study this patter of iceberg movement have tried to steer away from the entire fault being on us through global warming by coming to this conclusion. However, recent discoveries have proven that this may be true for the smaller chunks of icebergs that break off from the larger mass and indeed drift off into warmer waters where they melt, never to refreeze again (Skeptical Science). The fact of the matter is that this theory doesn’t explain why the ice is melting so rapidly. This process would take much longer and also doesn’t explain why the main, larger ice masses are shrinking. If this theory were true then scientist would not have the proper statistics to be making the estimations that the ice would be completely gone by the end of the century, possibly as early as 2050.

With two theories proven wrong the other option is the one I believe to be the absolute main reason why the ice cap is melting. This is that global warming is the obvious reason for the melting of the Arctic sea ice melting. When you look at the process it all seems to make sense. The world, particularly the U.S., has increased the burning of fossil fuels either through driving or heating of homes and buildings. These fossil fuels give off greenhouse gases that get into the atmosphere and raise temperatures. The rise in our climate is melting the ice caps. The ice caps our responsible for cooling the rest of the earth because they reflect the sun’s rays and give off cool air (Mongabay). However, since the ice is melting there is less ice and more water. The water absorbs the sun’s rays and heats up which in return gives off more heat melting more ice. So you see this vicious circle results from our abusing use of fossil fuels.

The next question that arises from this situation is, “Why should we care?” There are several extremely important reasons why everyone in the world should care that the sea ice is melting so fast. The first and the biggest problem that we would see from the rapid melting is the rise of sea levels affecting major coastal cities such as Shanghai and Lagos. Even closer to home cities in North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida will see as much as a three feet rise in sea level causing extreme beach erosion (NRDC). As far as the climate and nature goes, you guessed it; both would be inherently affected by this ice melting. As we have seen in past studies the world’s climate is steadily rising as the Arctic ice is shrinking, the two go hand in hand. In states like Kansas where they rely on their winter wheat and need the colder weather to do grow such crops, with all the ice gone winter would warm by as much as four degrees and throw off the balance to maintain the crops. However, not only would the winters be brutal. In the summer, warmer days would rob Kansas’s soil of 10 percent of its moisture, drying out valuable cropland (NRDC).

This scenario wouldn’t hurt the United States one-tenth as bad as it would the native people of the Arctic lands. As Americans, and I am 100 percent guilty of this, we shouldn’t always think about ourselves. The people that live on the land that surrounds this Arctic sea that was once almost completely frozen would be completely wiped out if this ice turns into water. In fact, we are already seeing dramatic changes in the lifestyles of these people. The largest ice mass in this ocean is the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf and for 3,000 years the mass has been intact with no cracking (NRDC). The year 2000 is the first sign of cracking we have seen and with this much of the fresh water and unique ecosystem drained into the ocean. This caused animals such as: polar bears, walrus, whales, and seals to change their feeding and migration habits (NRDC). This in return made it extremely difficult for native people, who rely on these animals, to hunt. The even sadder part of the story is that villages along the coastline fear the danger of being swamped. So, unlike the much of the rest of the world these people view global warming as a threat to their identity and very survival!

The final point I would like to bring up in this paper while I have your undivided attention is, “What can we do about it?” The answer is quite simple to be completely honest with you. No! You don’t have to change your whole lifestyle and live in complete fear of global warming. The first and most important characteristic that we can change is reduce the amount of fossil fuels that we burn producing heat-trapping gases that cause global warming and melt the ice. We do this by driving only when we really need to, walk more its better for your health anyways. If you really want to help the environment and can afford it, buy the new cars that run cleaner and use less gas. Look for alternative ways to heat and cool your homes and places of work. The most effective way is to use the sun and wind instead of electricity and gas. After reading McDonough and Braungart and reading what they did to change that man’s factory to make it more environmentally sound. As an added bonus the man got younger workers to quit their higher paying jobs to come in work in a more employee friendly environmentally. This excerpt really got me thinking differently about global warming and change to stop it isn’t all that bad. It’s like I pointed out in my free writing, “If everyone takes care of their little part, well, then the whole world will be taken care of.”