Trapped heat below Arctic surface could melt entire region’s ice: study

Why is it in news?
  • Archived’ heat trapped below the surface of the Arctic has the potential to melt the entire region’s sea ice, scientists warn.
  • The study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that Arctic sea ice is not just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges.
  • Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the Arctic, researchers found.
More in news
  • The upper ocean in the Canadian Basin has seen a two-fold increase in heat content over the past 30 years.
  • They traced the source to waters hundreds of miles to the south, where reduced sea ice has left the surface ocean more exposed to summer solar warming.
  • In turn, Arctic winds are driving the warmer water north, but below the surface waters.
  • This means the effects of sea-ice loss are not limited to the ice-free regions themselves, but also lead to increased heat accumulation in the interior of the Arctic Ocean that can have climate effects well beyond the summer season.
Source
The Hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 31st Aug 2018