Polar ice caps melting

Polar ice caps are high autonomy region of a planet that is covered with ice. There are no special requirements for size and composition for a body of ice to be called as polar ice cap. The composition of ice on the polar ice caps varies. Polar ice caps are found in the polar region where the sun light reaches rarely. Due to the rare sun light ice caps are formed in the Polar Regions so, the ice caps are called polar ice caps. The temperature in the Polar Regions is below zero degree. The polar ice caps on the Earth have noticeably altered over last 12,000 years. Varied solar energy absorption is the cause of seasonal distinction of the polar ice caps as the moon and our planet, Earth rotate around the Sun.

Earth’s North Pole is enveloped by floating packs of ice on the Arctic Ocean. The portions of ice caps which do not melt seasonally get very thick. These can be thick up to 3 – 4 meters over large areas. The ice of one year is an approximately 1 meter thick. The sea ice covers 9 to 12 million km square area.

On the South of the Earth, there is Antarctica, which is covered by Antarctic ice. Antarctica covers about 14.6 million km square area and the Antarctic ice covers 23 to 25 million km cube area. This ice sheet contains a lot of fresh water and hence about 70 % of the fresh water on Earth ate held in it. The temperature on Antarctica is below zero degrees centigrade. Human beings can not survive in this area as it is too cold for any type of life in it. Only animals that are cold blooded, can survive in this area. The most common animal found in Polar Regions is Polar Bear.

In the Greenland and Antarctica, there are spots that are actually gaining ice due to the increase in yearly snowfall. But these polar ice caps are melting at a very fast rate. Sometimes the melting rate becomes too slow but later on it gets speed.

The high temperature of the earth cause many polar ice caps to melt, but it do not make the oceans to raise. Polar ice caps are large suspended blocks of ice. Water is more solid at 4 degree Celsius. Below this rate the solid will start melting. The melted ice called water then falls into the river and the rivers collectively form the oceans. In the Polar Regions water is most fresh. The heat of the sun light allows the ice to melt and make water. These rivers can water the crops also as the water is too fresh and cold. The water from the polar ice caps save the surface from soil erosion. In the North Pole the ice not as thick as in the South Pole. The main land that is covered with ice is Antarctica. It is the most coolest place and human beings can not survive in such climate.

filed under Polar Ice Caps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply