It's easy to take things for granted sometimes, especially as it relates to the planet that we live on. Recent news about the ice shelf in Antarctic melting has me concerned about what the future holds for planet Earth.
NASA used satellites to monitor ice shelfs in Antarctica and found that they had lost an area bigger than the state of California back in 2005. These ice shelfs are important to the environment because they affect sea levels and help to control water temperatures. The glaciers affect the world's climate on every level.
"Antarctica has shown little to no warming in the recent past with the exception of the Antarctic peninsula, but now large regions are showing the first signs of the impacts of warming as interpreted by this satellite analysis," said Konrad Steffen, of the University of Colorado. "Increases in snowmelt, such as this in 2005, definitely could have an impact on larger scale melting of Antarctica's ice sheets if they were severe or sustained over time." "It is vital we continue monitoring this region to determine if a long-term trend may be developing," said Son Nghiem of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Water temperatures in the ocean have to stay stable to support the fish and other living beings. If water temperatures get too warm, fish must seek cooler waters in order to survive. If these waters don't sustain the nutrients or offer shelter many species of fish could die out. This would cause a domino affect that would eventually work its way up the food chain. Upsetting these delicate waters could upset the entire universe.
In extreme cases, ice melt could put cities that are located below sea level under water. This includes places like New Orleans, Long Island and most of Florida.
Ice shelves aren't something that most people think (let alone worry) about most days, but is something that could directly affect everyones future. The earth is already 70.8% water so land mass only makes up 29.2% of the Earth's surface. to begin with. If Antarctica continues to melt, our civilization could end up like the lost city of Atlantis.
What do you think about NASA's finding? Are you concerned?
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