LIFE SCIENCE

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: -And while warm air certainly melts the surface of glaciers and ice sheets, they’re also significantly affected by other factors including the ocean water that surrounds them, the terrain (both land and ocean) over which they move, and even their own meltwater.

Detailed explanation-3: -Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate change. We lose Arctic sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95%.

Detailed explanation-4: -In response to climate fluctuations, glaciers grow and shrink in length, width, and depth. Because glaciers are sensitive to the temperature and precipitation changes that accompany climate change, the rate of their growth or decline can serve as an indicator of regional and global climate change.

Detailed explanation-5: -Changes in the amount of sea ice can disrupt normal ocean circulation, thereby leading to changes in global climate. Even a small increase in temperature can lead to greater warming over time, making the polar regions the most sensitive areas to climate change on Earth.