NASA’s look at the disappearing Arctic polar ice cap is kind of disconcerting when you think of how much new ice there is in relation to the older ice that is thicker and less likely to melt. Going from 1984 to 2016 a lot of that older ice has built up and then melted away but by 2016 it appears that the majority of older ice has been replaced by the new ice. There are a wide number of studies that could tell you just what that means and why it’s important to the human race, but many of them would gladly disagree with one another and possibly contradict each other based on their findings and their beliefs.
The world as we know it is changing continually, that much is for certain, but whether it’s for the good or the bad is as of yet undecided since on one end we can see natural disasters occurring far more frequently as of late, the devastation they cause leveling entire communities and putting several states and countries on notice at once. But being far away from those type of phenomena it is too easy to state that while it is destructive, it is not entirely indicative of a serious shift in the currents that are affected by the melting polar ice caps. There is a bit of fallout to be expected from glaciers that are melting and ice that is disappearing, since it is not disappearing really but melting and adding to the bodies of water that already exist. As a result it is believed that if the polar ice caps were to melt entirely the sea level would rise nearly 200 feet, eliminating many coastal cities and traveling further inland until the size of many continents was drastically reduced.
That’s a very scary thought for anyone that happens to live on the coast or even within shouting distance, but one thing should be able to mollify many people. Scientists have surmised that should the polar ice caps begin to melt it would take roughly 5,000 years for them to melt completely, and during that time life on earth would become significantly harder as the global warming needed to accomplish continued to rise. So in theory the idea of being swept away by a rising tide wouldn’t be as horrible as the thought that the earth would be continually heating up and becoming a hazard zone to anything living on the surface.
One way or another this world will likely end one day, or at least our perception of it will. Unless the planet cracks in half however and becomes entirely inhospitable, life will always find a way to thrive and to continue forward. The idea that humanity might one day be gone through some natural act or disaster is something that a lot of people don’t like to contemplate, but as we hear more and more about what is happening to the environment and what it means for the rest of us those that love to worry will continue to see doom around every corner.
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