During the 11th Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), a large group of scientists voiced their concerns about Antarctica going to the point of “no return” due to climate change.
Scientists believe that extreme weather events are damaging Antarctica’s white continent and forcing it to change at an unprecedented rate.
According to experts, the continent is facing rising heat waves, glacial retreats, intense rainfalls, and chronic spells of dry wind, which contribute to Antarctica’s change and come with global implications.
Scientists are worried by 40 years of satellite and weather data, and they are questioning whether the continent has already reached an irreversible point.
One conference participant, Liz Keller from New Zealand, noted that it remains unknown if the damage is only temporary or if the continent’s sea ice has already been sent on a “downward plunge.”
According to NASA estimates, Antarctica has so much ice that it can raise the global ocean levels by up to 58 meters, which will essentially seize life, as we know, in nearly all the coastal cities.
While Keller hesitated to confirm that the continent has reached the point of no return, he did state that the rate at which things are changing for the worse is unprecedented.
He cited the example of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, stating that carbon dioxide emissions that did not happen in thousands of years now happen in less than 100 years.
A German paleoceanographer, Mike Weber, noted that some historical accounts suggest that we have been in this territory of bulk ice melting before. He argued that a similar situation had happened almost eight times in the past, adding that one long spell of Antarctic ice sheet melting has the potential to last for centuries and can bring global sea levels up.
Weber said that if we are once again entering a long spell of ice melting in Antarctica, this process will not be stopped any time soon. He explained that the Earth’s crust is influenced by the weight of Antarctic glaciers, and if these glaciers melt, the crust will begin to rebound, leading to rising sea levels.
Meanwhile, scientists are pushing for keeping carbon emissions low worldwide in order to avoid a situation that can be much worse than what is happening currently.
Weber said that the most effective way to stop this long spell of ice melting is by reducing carbon emissions because if we keep these emissions high, the rate of ice melting will rise dramatically.
Another glaciologist, Gino Casassa, mentioned that sea levels are expected to rise by 4 meters in 2100 if drastic measures to keep carbon emissions low are not employed immediately. Any climate change happening in Antarctica will not stay there, and it will impact ocean levels and weather patterns of the rest of the world, Casassa added.
