Why is the Polar ice sheet melting, and how will that affect the environment,?

Question

the Polar bears,and humans?

Answer 1

Polar sheet is melting because the Earth's average temperature is increasing (Global Warming).
Why? I do not know. Some say that we (humans) are causing it, others say that it is natural.

My personal opinion: even though natural global warmings have occurred in the past, the faster speed at which this one is proceeding may be due to human action.
Scientific evidence appears to favor the same conclusion, but it is not yet... conclusive.
It (the conclusion) is also rejected by people motivated by greed (monetary or political). The fact that they are biased does not mean they are wrong, simply that they are biased. It may very well be that the others are also biased (e.g., get more money for research to save the planet).

Polar bears will disappear before the middle of this century (except for the few left in zoos).

Humans? I don't know. We will be affected by the resulting changes: slightly less salty oceans, less sunlight being reflected back to space will mean slightly warmer water and warmer climate (more rain, more tornadoes, more hurricanes); ironically, some regions will grow dryer (because of changes in atmospheric flows). More deserts AND more floods... simultaneously.

It has already begun.

Because of the (relatively sudden) change in availability of basic resources (water, food, fuel), there will be more wars.


----

The melting of the ice sheet will not cause a rise in ocean levels. The ice is already floating on water and, therefore, displacing its weight. After melting, the resulting water will occupy the same volume as the ice is now displacing.

Melting glaciers (e.g., Greenland, Antarctica) will cause a rise in sea levels because that ice is not yet in the water. This will bring new water to the ocean and cause the levels to rise. Of course, if the ice sheet melts, the same causes will make the glaciers melt.

Answer 2

The polar ice is melting because the average global temperatures are rising. It will affect the habitat of the polar bear and there will be some competition and decline in population numbers if the melting continues. As for humans, when the ice caps melt the oceans rise and that can mean flooding in coastal areas and decreases in ocean circulation which affects weather patterns.

Answer 3

well sweetie , the polar ice is melting because the average global temperatures are rising. It will affect the habitat of the polar bear and there will be some competition and decline in population numbers if the melting continues. As for humans, when the ice caps melt the oceans rise and that can mean flooding in coastal areas and decreases in ocean circulation which affects weather patterns. I hope this helps good question . -B-

Answer 4

That's because of global warming! The developing countries like China and India are burning high sulfur coal. They do not use scrubbers in their electric plants and do not use converters on the cars they have! We here in the US do use converters and scrubbers in our stuff. Just think about it, almost everything is made in China now. They have no EPA over their. When the ice caps melt sea levels will rise, causing coastal city's to be underwater. The polar bears will loose their habitat. If only the developing countries would add restrictions we might be able to slow it down. Until we find a replacement for fossil fuel.

Answer 5

Short answer (got to take kids to grandmas): Rising temperatures (Global Warming- it's here, it's real, get used to it), the melting ice sheet will cause sea levels to rise inundating coastal areas, the Polar Bears will be severely threatened because of habitat loss. Some folks think that the ice water added into the circulation of the oceans will cause cooler temps around the globe. But we won't really know until it happens. Wish I could elaborate more.

Answer 6

It is all part of a cycle and when the northern ice cap is gone ocean currents will slow and the areas that are warmed by the oceans will Begin to get colder, and that will then become the beginning of the next ice age.

Answer 7

well due to the emmission of green house gases and the ozone hole over antactica that lats in the UV rays effect the polar sheet causing them to melt. it can increase the sea water level considerably submerging the low lying coastal areas. polar bears are poor swimmers and hunt seals(their food) on frozen sheets and can cause them to extinct

Answer 8

Mrs Van Winkle, this has been discussed ad infinitum for the past 20 years. Didja sleep through it?

Read the following and don't get hung up on the "liberals versus conservatives" angle, those kind of conservatives are morons with no respect for science.

Answer 9

this is why and how
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm.html

this is when ice cap maybe disappear http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/12/11/arctic-greenhouse.html#skip300x250

With the new pictures this week, I feel I would see a lot of floods in my life.

Answer 10

google it