There is a part of the Earth’s surface that is covered with ice and is considered an eternal frozen region. However, it seems that these conditions may change in the future. The reason, climate change has melted some parts of the ice on Earth. NASA reveals that there have been 400 billion tons of melting glaciers around the world from 1994 to the present.
Sadly, the melting of the glaciers does not include the melting of the ice sheets that occur in Antarctica and Arctic. Well, if this continues, there will be some extreme events in the future that will impact the world. Like what, huh? Come on, take a look!
1. The earth is getting hotter
If the ice sheet continues to melt, it indicates that the Earth is experiencing an increase in temperature. If this continues, in the future, the Earth may get warmer and hotter. Page Center for Climate and Energy Solution write about the fact that human activities make the Earth warmer and hotter from time to time.
With the melting of ice sheets in various regions of the Earth, this also indicates that the Earth is not doing well. Yup, if all the ice sheets on Earth melted, it was a sign that humans would live in a very hostile nature. Temperatures on Earth may reach a point where they destroy food crops.
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2. Habitat in cold places will be damaged and destroyed
Polar bear habitat in the Arctic. (pexels.com/Dick Hoskins)–
If there is no more ice left in the polar regions, all the habitats that exist there will be destroyed. Right now, there is overwhelming evidence that habitats in Earth’s North and South Poles are already being destroyed. Several types of carnivorous species there have begun to find it difficult to get food. As a result, they walk and look for food to very far away places.
Quoted in National Geographic, some sad cases have happened to a group of polar bears. They are very hungry and very thin because of the lack of abundant food sources in the Arctic. The cause is the melting of ice that is very fast and changes the existing ecosystem. If this continues, the consequences will be chain and the existence of polar organisms will become extinct.
Also Read: Must Know! Science Answers 8 Questions About Phenomena in the Universe
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3. The Earth will lack fresh water reserves
Ice is the freshwater reserve on Earth. (pexels.com/Jean Christhope Andre)–
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About 71 percent of the area on Earth is water. However, only a few parts of the Earth have reserves of fresh water for life on earth. According to the United States Reclamation Agency (USBR), the amount of clean fresh water on Earth is no more than 3 percent. In fact, about 2.5 percent of the amount of fresh water on Earth is still in the form of ice and glaciers.
So, it can be concluded that the ice and glaciers in various regions of the Earth are the largest freshwater reserves. Unfortunately, these reserves will be lost if the climate on Earth becomes more hostile. Melting fresh water reserves will flow into the oceans and humans will find it increasingly difficult to get fresh water from nature considering that not all cold regions on Earth have enough rainfall.
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4. The emergence of new viruses and bacteria that may be very dangerous
Ice sheet in the northern region. (pexels.com/Stein Egil Liland)–
Maybe this will sound like stories in a science fiction-themed film. However, it turns out that an ancient virus trapped in the ice has been revealed by scientists. BBC Earth on its website notes that there is clear evidence of viruses or bacteria surviving in frozen ice. In August 2016, in a remote corner of Siberia, a child died and 20 others were being treated for anthrax.
Given that the area is so remote and has no livestock, it seems impossible for anthrax to exist there. However, a team of doctors and scientists found a terrible fact there. Yes, after an investigation, the local outbreak was caused by a deer carcass trapped in ice for 75 years. When the ice melts, the carcasses of the anthrax-infected deer spread the bacteria massively.
Well, you can’t imagine what it would be like if in the frozen ice there was also an ancient virus or bacteria that could massively infect humans. In theory, this may be because the virus can be inactive if it is frozen. It is not impossible, the world will be hit by a deadly epidemic in the future that may even be worse than COVID-19.
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5. A lot of land on Earth will sink
The sea level is almost the same as the land. (pexels.com/Enrique Hoyos)–
In his page, National Geographic wrote about the changes that the Earth would experience if all the ice on Earth melted. The lowlands of the world will surely sink, as will the cities that are not so high up. Major changes occurred on the seven continents on Earth. There will be many land areas that are submerged in water and may be completely submerged.
Areas that are initially quite high above sea level may appear slightly lower. The dry lowlands will become a saltwater lake, even the sea that is not so deep. However, keep in mind that this calculation can be wrong considering the amount of ice around the world is also not so massive. Even so, protecting and preserving nature is still a simple way for mankind to save the Earth and all the remaining ice sheets.
Those are some discussions about the impact if one day the ice on Earth melts massively and completely. Hopefully this article can add to your insight, yes!
Also Read: 6 Interesting Natural Phenomena in Antarctica
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