Monday, January 15, 2024

Why is the Arctic warming so much faster?

begin partial quote from:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-arctic-is-warming-nearly-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world

Why is the Arctic warming so much faster?

A large part of the explanation relates to sea ice. This is a thin layer (typically one metre to five metres thick) of sea water that freezes in winter and partially melts in the summer.

The sea ice is covered in a bright layer of snow which reflects around 85 percent of incoming solar radiation back out to space. The opposite occurs in the open ocean. As the darkest natural surface on the planet, the ocean absorbs 90 percent of solar radiation.

end partial quote.

So, the blue or green water absorbs the heat better whereas ice reflects 85% of the light and heat instead.

So, it is no surprise if you fully understand this why the arctic is heating up 4 times faster than the rest of the world.

No comments: