Antarctica Lost Ice By An Area Four Times Greater Than France In A Few Years, Now At Record Low

Antartica¡¯s ice cover has melted at an alarming rate in the past few years. Researchers say sea ice cover melted by an area four times greater than France in just a few years and now stands at a record low.

Climate change is causing fast melting of ice than ever before in most parts of the world but it as of now the same reason cannot be attributed to global warming. Scientists knew Antarctica was thawing at an increasing rate, like the Arctic, because of accelerating discharge from glaciers, the rivers of ice that push up slowly against the shore.

However, between 1979 and 2014, scientist saw a phenomenon which was assuring ¨C the sea ice cover was expanding. But from 2014 to 2017, the loss has accelerated.

"The Antarctic lost almost as much as the Arctic" over almost 40 years, NASA climatologist Claire Parkinson told AFP, and the trend has continued ever since.

Researchers say from a peak area of 12.8 million square kilometers, the sea ice cover receded two million square kilometers for reasons that remain unknown.

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"It went from its 40-year high in 2014, all the way down in 2017 to its 40-year low," said Parkinson, whose findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Antarctica¡¯s mountains are covered in ice are capable of raising the level of the oceans by 57 meters, according to a 2013 study.

The ice loss has baffled scientists.

Experts say they don¡¯t know if this is a natural blip that will go away or more long-term global warming that is finally catching up with the South Pole. Antarctica hasn¡¯t showed as much consistent warming as its northern Arctic cousin.

Around Antarctica, sea ice averaged 12.8 million square kilometers in 2014. By 2017, it was a record low of 10.7 million square kilometers, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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The difference covers an area bigger than the size of Mexico, reported globalnews.ca.

Arctic has shown steady melting of ice due to warming and some due to slight year to year variation.

A third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw this century due to temperature rise. This will in turn disrupt river flows vital for growing crops from China to India. Vast glaciers make the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region - which is home to the world's highest peaks topped by Mount Everest and K2 - a "third pole" behind Antarctica and the Arctic region, the scientists said.