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Increasing global temperatures due to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, better known as global warming, pose risks to ecosystems, animals, and humans worldwide. And according to a new study, global warming in the Arctic is on track to cause some very deadly consequences in the near future. According to the new study, the North Pole is on track to experience summers free of sea ice (frozen ocean water) by 2050.
21 research institutes from around the world collaborated on the study, which was published in the journal. Geophysical research charts. One of the institutes, McGill University, explained in a press release that the Arctic is covered in sea ice year-round. During summers, it is normal for temperatures to rise slightly and for sea ice coverage to decrease accordingly; then when winter comes, the weather becomes colder and sea ice coverage increases again. So yes, seasonal fluctuations in ice coverage are normal.
However, if humans continue to treat the planet as we do now, there will be ice-free summers in the Arctic in the next 30 years, which will have devastating effects on animals in the region, namely polar bears.
“While the extent of Arctic sea ice is decreasing during this transition to an ice-free Arctic, year-to-year variability increases considerably, making life difficult for local populations and ice-dependent species,” co-author Bruno Tremblay, Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University, said in a statement.
Why do polar bears need sea ice?
Polar bears need sea ice for their survival, since Reader’s Summary In other words, “the entire existence of a polar bear revolves around sea ice.” Thea Bechshoft, a staff scientist at Polar Bears International, explained to the media that swimming requires five times more energy than walking for polar pears; Also, poor bears and young cubs, which do not have enough fat to insulate their bodies, can contract hypothermia when swimming in icy waters, and cannot survive without sea ice.
Most importantly, polar bears depend on sea ice to help them navigate the ocean while hunting their prey (primarily seals). Without sea ice, polar bears will be at a serious disadvantage when it comes to hunting. If they cannot hunt enough prey, they may starve and die, or it can lead to polar bear cannibalism.
Furthermore, as Reader’s Summary noticed, bears use sea ice for napping, to freeze their murders, to woo and mate, and more.
Can we save polar bears?
The study was conducted primarily through the use of a CMIP6 model (the latest version of the global climate model, also known as the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project), which was used to create simulations of the area and volume of Arctic sea ice. Scientists looked at recent results from 40 different climate models, and simulations showed that the Arctic sea ice disappeared quickly, resulting in ice-free summers by 2050.
The researchers also observed simulations in which humans reduced CO2 emissions, and those cases still indicate a significant disappearance of the ice in the summer. But if humans manage to massively reduce CO2 emissions, ice-free summers will only happen occasionally.
Basically, if we want to save polar bears, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; To do that, we need to massively reduce human dependence on fossil fuels, animal agriculture, and other polluting industries. It is certainly possible for humans to get ahead and make it possible, but only time will tell.
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