Svalbard record summer thaw (Photo:NASA)
JAKARTA, kilat.com- In the summer of 2022, unusually warm air temperatures have resulted melting record throughout Svalbard. On the ice-covered Norwegian archipelago, abundant meltwater, much of it flowing into the ocean, is the latest manifestation of a rapidly changing climate.
Svalbard is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. About 6% of the planet’s surface is covered by glaciers beyond Greenland and Antarctica, which cover more than half of its geographic area.
Prior to the record thaw, the environment was changed by warming. The glacier has receded, and the “firn”, a compressed, porous surface layer of snow, has lost its ability to hold large amounts of meltwater. This summer thaw is caused by consistently warm winds coming from the south.
Parts of the archipelago had average temperatures up to 1.8°C (3.2°F) higher than normal from May 1 to July 25, 2022. On July 17, Svalbard experienced the highest melt volume ever recorded due to a warming trend starting on July 15th.
Additional elements also play a role in the record-breaking event. The archipelago’s sea ice is starting to disappear faster than usual, and in late spring 2022, open sea water is visible. (Sea ice can sometimes persist into late summer.) This allows warm southerly winds to blow directly inland without first cooling by blowing off the sea ice.
Read Also:
Bima Sakti Calls Indonesia Focused on U-16 AFF Cup Semifinals: Forget Victory Over Vietnam
In addition, the winter of 2021-2022 has only a little snow. As the weather warms, a thin layer of new snow quickly melts, revealing vast expanses of older, darker snow, spruce, and bare ice. This darker surface absorbs more solar radiation than bright, fresh snow, which speeds up melting during the long, sunny days in Arctic.
In the past, most of the meltwater would have been stored in fir layers, where it would eventually freeze back. This procedure can help preserve glacier ice by preventing meltwater from entering the ocean. Snowpack Svalbard retained 34% of summer meltwater between 1981 and 2010. Only 8% of the workforce was retained this summer. (nda)
–
