Although most of the world is covered with water, drinkable water resources are very few. The largest reserves of potable water resources are the polar glaciers. However, our planet faces the threat of global warming. Glaciers are melting. However, recently the poles have started to warm up faster than before. Here’s why the poles are warming so fast…
The strangest reason why the poles are warming up faster and faster!
Clouds above the stratosphere act like a blanket. Thus, it traps heat in the Arctic and Antarctica. This may explain why warming rates are increasing.
If you had lived about 50 million years ago and gone to the poles, you would have encountered a different landscape than it is today. Instead of kilometers-thick ice sheets, you would encounter lush forests and creatures such as crocodiles. This is because greenhouse gas concentrations were much higher during the Eocene period than today. This situation led to a period of natural global warming.
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Methane has a planet-warming effect that is 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide. As methane levels rise, it increases temperatures. This situation led to animals migrating to the poles.
Methane is heating the Eocene poles in fascinating ways. It creates a blanket of invisible clouds that trap heat at the surface. This alone increased polar warming by 7 degrees Celsius during the coldest winter months, according to a recent paper published in Nature Geoscience.
Climate scientist and lead author Deepashree Dutta, who is currently at the University of Cambridge but conducts research at the University of New South Wales, made a statement. He said in a statement: “We know that when methane is in the atmosphere it oxidizes and then produces water vapor. This water vapor then moves upward into the stratosphere. It helps form polar stratospheric clouds, or PSCs for short.” said.
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet due to feedback loops. Glaciers are melting. It then reveals darker water or soil underneath. Unfortunately, because of this situation, the poles are warming faster. This warming also leads to more melting. Scientists call this situation polar amplification.
