GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
As ocean temperatures rise, what is happening to glaciers and ice caps?
A
They are getting larger.
B
They are becoming more dense.
C
They are melting.
D
They are moving south.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. Specifically, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.

Detailed explanation-2: -The melting ice causes freshwater to be added to the seawater in the Arctic Ocean which flows into the North Atlantic. The added freshwater makes the seawater less dense. This has caused the North Atlantic to become fresher over the past several decades and has caused the currents to slow.

Detailed explanation-3: -Melting ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic as well as ice melt from glaciers all over the world are causing sea levels to rise.

Detailed explanation-4: -More solar energy is absorbed at the surface and ocean temperatures rise. This begins a cycle of warming and melting. Warmer water temperatures delay ice growth in the fall and winter, and the ice melts faster the following spring, exposing dark ocean waters for a longer period the following summer.

Detailed explanation-5: -If all the ice covering Antarctica, Greenland, and in mountain glaciers around the world were to melt, sea level would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The ocean would cover all the coastal cities. And land area would shrink significantly. But many cities, such as Denver, would survive.

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