As the world is getting warmer, experts are beginning to identify more and more areas that play a significant role in boosting sea level rise. Recently, they found out that islands in the Canadian section of the Arctic contributed extensively to this phenomenon.
Glacier and ice caps in these area are now melting faster than ever before, and the amount of freshwater they contain is beginning to make a difference in the world ocean. In a new study, experts determined that the amount of water being lost to the sea is larger than first calculated.
The work, carried out by experts at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, analyzed more than 550,000 square miles of land, included in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. According to official statistics, the area contains an estimated 30,000 islands.
Water loss in the area increased significantly between 2004 and 2009. Experts say that the amount of ice that melted over these 5 years released the equivalent of 75 percent of the water in Lake Erie, in the Arctic Ocean, and then in the Atlantic.
This phenomenon was caused by temperatures that far exceeded normal levels for this period. During this period, climate experts saw two records for warm temperatures in the area being established.
Global warming may cause only slight increases in temperatures when viewed statistically, but the situation is quite different in the field. While temperatures remain rather constant at the Equator, they vary widely at the poles, by as much as 5 to 7 degrees Celsius.
In a paper published online in the April 20 issue of the top journal Nature, the U-M team shows that these wide variations are the main causes of increased melting in the Canadian Arctic.
The study was led by U-M research fellow Alex Gardner, who is based at the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences. “This is a region that we previously didn't think was contributing much to sea level rise,” he explains.
“Now we realize that outside of Antarctica and Greenland, it was the largest contributor for the years 2007 through 2009. This area is highly sensitive and if temperatures continue to increase, we will see much more melting,” he goes on to say.
The study shows that a one-degree increase in average air temperatures at this location can result in 15 cubic miles of additional melting per glacier, which is a disproportionate, yet unfortunately real response.
“This is a big response to a small change in climate. If the warming continues and we start to see similar responses in other glaciated regions, I would say it's worrisome, but right now we just don't know if it will continue,” Gardner concludes.
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