The Global Warming Question - Part 3 Reduction in polar ice sheets and glaciers

The first real indicators the plant was warming came to light when studies on glaciers and ice sheets were conducted over many years. They started to show the glaciers and ice sheets were declining.

Over the years there was a natural fluctuation in the glaciers and ice sheets, but in the later half of the 20^th century showed that the level of change was greater than any previous fluctuation recorded.

Over recent years the global warming sceptics have denied that global warming is happening at all, but thanks to the undeniable truth that the polar ice sheets and the worlds glaciers are reducing in size they can no longer deny the truth.

Studies have revealed that glaciers have reduced as much as 50% in 50 years in some areas, with others on the verge of disappearing all together.

It is estimated that 60% of the world’s fresh water is contained within the ice sheets and glaciers of the world. Other estimates claim it could be more like 75%. It is undeniably a massive storage tank of water on the planet. One which if unleashed will have consequences outwith our control.

The polar ice sheets and glaciers of the world also play a huge part in the control of the planets temperature. They act like a regulator for the amount of heat absorption the planet takes.

You see ice, because it is white is reflective and it reflects sunlight, thus reducing the warming effects of the sun on the surface of the earth.

The seas are darker and because dark colours absorb the warmth of the sun, the sea absorbs the suns heat.

If we increase the global temperature, we will in turn reduce the amount of ice cover and thus reduce the reflective capacity of the earth and increasing its absorbent properties.

This in turn will actually speed up the warming process due to a reduction in the earth ability to reflect the suns energy back into space.

It is estimated that if all the glaciers and ice sheets were to melt on earth then the seas could raise approx 70m.

Obviously the seas will not rise this amount overnight but science has indicated that the seas could rise 6m over the next fifty to one hundred years causing catastrophic consequences world wide.