Climate Crisis in Antarctica

 

What's happening?

 

The polar regions are the first to be affected by the heating climate, and dramatic changes are already underway in Antarctica.

 

Floating ice shelves are melting rapidly, raising concerns about sudden, uncontrollable sea level rise. The Antarctic Peninsula, a popular tourist destination, is one of the most rapidly warming places in the Southern Hemisphere, with average summer temperatures increasing by over 5°F (3°C) between 1970 and 2020. 

 

Since the 1970s the Southern Ocean has absorbed as much as 75 percent of the excess heat created by humans, and 40 percent of the carbon dioxide. Warmer, more acidic oceans are already impacting Antarctic ecosystems, with many penguin colonies shrinking, and in some cases disappearing altogether.

 

 

The impacts

Antarctica and its ice, ocean and ecosystems play a critical role in regulating the global climate. Together they help slow global heating, drive important ocean currents, and contribute to the drawdown of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

 

The climate crisis is disrupting these delicate systems. They are changing rapidly, with effects that will be felt around the world

 

Humans

Human activity is causing changes in our climate, and the natural systems that support life as we know it.

Penguins

Between 1980 and 2020, several penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula vanished.

Ice

Antarctic ice is changing. Collapsing ice shelves could lead to several feet of sea level rise by 2100.

Ocean                                                 

The Southern Ocean is slowing climate change by absorbing excess heat. But it comes at a cost.