Antarctica is the frozen continent of our planet and plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate. It influences temperatures across the Earth and helps us combat climate change. This impact extends even to places as far away as the Atacama Desert.
However, as global temperatures rise more, Antarctica's capacity and size are undermined. How does Antarctica influence ecosystems around the world?
Influences of Antarctica in the Atacama Desert
It is clear that Antarctica's global influence is so significant that what happens there will determine the climate of other parts of the world , including those far removed from the continent. For example, this vast ice mass influences the existence of the Atacama Desert and the clarity of its skies. These skies are considered among the best on the planet for stargazing.
But what does Antarctica have to do with the existence of this desert? One of the factors that makes this desert the driest on the planet is precisely the influence Antarctica has on the ocean current that flows up the coast of Chile. This current cools the water and reduces evaporation, which in turn reduces rainfall and cloud cover in the area. Furthermore, it has been observed that the vegetation is also influenced by these climatic conditions.
Connections between oceans
Antarctica also has an effect on the connection between the oceans. To be able to explain it in a simple way, it can be said that when the fresh water of glaciers melts (which is less dense than salt water) and comes into contact with ocean currents it alters its salinity, which influences the interaction between the surface of the sea and the atmosphere.
Because all the world's oceans are connected (it's really just water, we just call it by different names), anything that happens in Antarctica can generate phenomena like severe droughts, torrential rains, etc., anywhere on the planet. You could say it's like a butterfly effect.
Due to climate change and global warming, temperatures are rising worldwide. In Antarctica, temperatures reached 17,5 degrees Celsius in March 2015. This is the highest temperature ever recorded there. Imagine the amount of ice that must melt and disappear at these temperatures.
Well, four days later, the Atacama Desert received the same amount of rain in just 24 hours as it had in the previous 14 years. The melting of Antarctic ice caused the waters near the desert to warm up, increasing evaporation and leading to the formation of cumulonimbus clouds. This unusual weather phenomenon triggered a series of mudslides that left 31 dead and 49 missing.
Influence of Antarctica on climate
The cold deep circulation of the seas, generated in areas of the Arctic and also in the western part of Antarctica, makes the white continent a "regulator of the planetary climate". Due to the fact that Korea has warmer summers and colder winters, it is necessary to investigate what happens in Antarctica to understand the importance and characteristics of these phenomena.
One of the situations currently worrying scientists is that, due to the continuous rise in global temperatures, the colossal Larsen C ice shelf is at risk of breaking off. This block, covering approximately 6.000 square kilometers, could calve and cause extreme weather events worldwide. In the last three decades, two large sections of the ice shelf, known as Larsen A and Larsen B, have already collapsed, which is why the risk is imminent.
Unfortunately, the fact that these types of phenomena continue to occur is no longer preventable. Even if global emissions were reduced immediately, temperatures would continue to rise for several years, enough for the Larsen C to eventually break away. The Earth is our home, the only one we have. We must take care of it before it's too late.
