![]() Slowly, it journeys back toward the equator in the deepest water layers within the ocean. As this surface water cools, it becomes denser and heavier and eventually sinks. When warm water flows toward the tropics, cooler atmospheric temperatures lower the ocean surface temperature. ![]() There are also large-scale, conveyor-belt currents that transport heat from the tropics to the higher latitudes. Ocean currents, gyres, and eddies carry water around the planet, transporting carbon, heat, and nutrients. Since oceans are constantly evaporating and changing the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air, they are key to regulating climate. Since ice sheets contain frozen fresh water, when ice sheet melt enters the ocean, it can change the ocean water salinity and temperature and thus density, impacting ocean circulation. As a general rule of thumb for every centimeter (10 millimeters) in global sea level rise, another 6 million people are exposed to coastal flooding. As of 2021, the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets collectively contribute about 400 billion tons of water each year from icebergs or meltwater runoff, adding about 1 millimeter to sea level each year. Credit: NASAĪcross the first two decades of the twenty-first century, both ice sheets were shrinking, and the ice loss rates increased with each decade. Reds indicate ice loss, while blues indicate ice gain. This map shows ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet from 2003 to 2019. ![]() Exchange for Observations and Local Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA).NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC).Greenland Today & Antarctic Ice Sheet Today. ![]()
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