Stefany Méndez

Enrique Wong

Composition and Rhetoric

17 July 2018

Antarctica is going through great changes

There has been a very early thaw in Antarctica as the planet warms up, if this
problem persists it is very likely that in a few decades most of the poles will thaw.
Pearce and Klein express their concern with this problem that for many passes as an
unnoticed topic. The authors indicate that "If the Earth reaches dangerous points of
inflection as the Antarctic glaciers melt, we will have to manage to get out of the crisis"
(1). The fear is more focused on the fact that most of the poles are thawed and that the
oceans absorb so much heat that it prevents the freezing in the winter. Beyond the
concrete measures to mitigate the clearly harmful effects, in the coming decades it will
be necessary to develop an ability to adapt to new circumstances.

There is evidence of the thawing of the Poles, which is just a sample of the great
damage we are causing to the planet. The North Pole and the South Pole are regions
where climate change is clearly hitting hardest. To mention an example, in Antarctica
(South Pole) there are glaciers that emphasize its importance, due to its altitude and
thickness, these are known as: Thwaites, Jakobshavn and Zachariae. Pearce and Klein
indicate that if they were to completely thaw these glaciers would be able to raise the
sea level by 3.3 m (4). Under this circumstance, the surrounding villages and even parts
of Latin America would be affected.

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition states that "the sea ice layer can modulate
the heat, humidity and gases between the atmosphere and the ocean." It rejects salt
when it freezes, generating cold ocean waters that spread throughout the world. It can
affect climate all over the planet. " Under this statement, what can generate the decrease
of ice is an amplification in the climate change of the poles, due to the alteration of the
sea ice system. However, it is worth mentioning that for a long-time ice landslide have
been generated. natural form. The important thing is to show if the intervention of man
is rushing these processes in climate change. Many icebergs tend to head north and in
warmer waters they break and melt. Ice does not just melt in Antarctica or in the Arctic,
it also happens in glaciers in mountainous areas (the Alps and the Andes). As the earth
warms, sea level increases and this has generated high economic costs.

On the other hand, climate change in Antarctica is also threatening the species that
inhabit this area. Areas of the Western Antarctic Peninsula may become too hot for
many native species. For example, the Krill is an aquatic animal that feeds on algae, but
unfortunately due to the melting of sea ice, the population of the Krill has decreased as
well as that of the penguins. Several species have had to migrate in response to high
temperatures in Antarctica. However, this has become a global problem because many
other species are also affected by climate change. New scientific inventions would be
expected to help counteract this effect, making incarcerated a geoengineering invention
of Harvard University that created it in order that the sea could maintain its temperature.
"Russell Seitz has suggested an alternative, less aggressive way to cool the seas:
increasing the reflectivity of the oceans with tiny air bubbles that could be delivered
cheaply by ships or oil rigs" (2). An invention like this in the Poles would help to take
care of many species that today are threatened by climate change.

In conclusion, climate change in Antarctica has been continuous and what humanity can
do best is to plan to be prepared, as this would make it more efficient to adapt to this
change. Climate change is a social environmental problem that is affecting the Poles
much more strongly. It is important to look at the immediate consequences that it is
causing in the local environment of the Polar Circle
Works Cited:

Lou Del Bello. “Dimming the sun could save corals from bleaching and hurricanes”
New Scientist. 20 October 2017, www.newscientist.com/article/2151012-dimming-the-
sun-could-save-corals-from-bleaching-and-hurricanes/. Accessed 14 July 2018.

Pearce, Fred and Klein, Alice. “Living with climate change: What’s the worst that can
happen?”. New Scientist, 21 June 2017, www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431310-
300-living-with-climate-change-whats-the-worst-that-can-happen/. Accessed 15 July
2018

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. “Climate change and the Antarctic”.
ASOC.org, 10 November 2018, www.asoc.org/advocacy/climate-change-and-the-
antarctic. Accessed 17 July 2018