Climate change is making itself felt more and more with different effects in different parts of the world. While the climate change in our country can be a good example for this, the polar regions and naturally glaciers are at the forefront of the places that are most affected by this situation.
Changes due to climate change in both the North Pole and the South Pole are constantly being examined and scenarios for the future conditions of the polar regions are evaluated. A new study has revealed that the ‘last ice zone’ in the Arctic region, which is shown as the oldest and thickest ice sheet of the North Pole, is also at risk.
The region was thought to be a ‘shelter’ for arctic animals in the future:
This region, located in northern Greenland, has a very thick ice sheet, and scientists thought that this region could be a special place for animals to take shelter in the future when glacier melt increases. The thickness of the ice level in the region indicated that this ice would not melt even in summer, which is why the region was called the ‘last ice zone’.
But in the summer of 2020, the Wandel Sea, east of the last ice zone, lost 50% of its ice sheet. This was the largest decline observed in many years. The studies carried out showed that, contrary to the climate models developed so far, the last glacial region faced a great risk of melting within the current knowledge.
This poses a major problem for species that depend on ice for their survival. Animals living in the polar regions face many risks due to the change experienced for many years. In scenarios where the glaciers melt completely, these animals do not have a chance to survive.
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