Antarctica Is Melting

    Imagine an entire continent buried under ice. Now you’ve got a picture of Antarctica [ant-ARK-ti-kuh].

    Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent on Earth. It’s located on the very southern end of our planet, at the South Pole. And Antarctica is covered in a thick layer of frozen water. 

    That sheet of ice is big enough to cover all of the United States and Mexico. In some places, Antarctica’s ice is more than 2 miles deep. That is almost deep enough to bury the Rocky Mountains, one of America’s largest mountain ranges.

    The ice in Antarctica started forming millions of years ago. Now scientists are worried that it may be melting too quickly. 

    If they’re right, life on Earth might never be the same.

    Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent. It’s on the southern end of our planet. That’s at the South Pole. Antarctica is covered in ice. 

    That sheet of ice is big. It could cover all of the United States and Mexico. The ice is more than 2 miles deep in some places. That’s almost deep enough to bury the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies are one of America’s biggest mountain ranges.

    The ice in Antarctica formed millions of years ago. Now experts say it may be melting too fast. 

    If they’re right, life on Earth could change a lot. And it might never be the same.

    Imagine an entire continent buried under ice, and you’ll have a fairly accurate picture of Antarctica [ant-ARK-ti-kuh].

    Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent on Earth. It’s located on the very southern end of our planet, at the South Pole. And Antarctica is covered in a thick layer of frozen water. 

    That sheet of ice is large enough to cover all of the United States and Mexico. In some places, Antarctica’s ice is more than 2 miles deep. That’s almost deep enough to bury the Rocky Mountains, one of America’s largest mountain ranges.

    The ice in Antarctica started forming millions of years ago, and now scientists are worried that it may be melting too quickly. 

    If they’re right, life on Earth might never be the same.

    Antarctica seems like a safe place for a giant sheet of ice. After all, the weather in Antarctica is colder than almost any other place on Earth. At the South Pole, the temperature can drop to -80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    But Earth’s climate is always changing. It naturally warms and cools over thousands—even millions—of years. 

    And right now, most experts agree that humans are making the planet warm up faster than ever before. 

    Since 2001, we’ve had 16 of the 17 warmest years on record. Temperatures are rising 10 times faster than the natural rate. This rise in temperature is called global warming.

    And it makes scientists worry.

    Antarctica seems like a safe place for a huge sheet of ice. It’s one of the coldest places on Earth. The temperature at the South Pole can drop to -80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    But Earth’s climate is always changing. It naturally warms and cools over time. 

    Right now, most experts say that humans are making Earth warm up faster than ever. 

    Since 2001, we’ve had 16 of the 17 warmest years on record. Temperatures are rising 10 times faster than normal. This is called global warming.

    And it makes scientists worry.

    Antarctica seems like a safe place for an enormous sheet of ice. After all, the weather in Antarctica is colder than almost anywhere else on Earth. At the South Pole, the temperature can drop to -80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    But Earth’s climate is constantly changing. It naturally warms and cools over thousands—even millions—of years. 

    And right now, most experts agree that humans are making the planet warm up faster than ever before. 

    Since 2001, we’ve had 16 of the 17 warmest years on record. Temperatures are rising 10 times faster than the natural rate. This rise in temperature is called global warming, and it makes scientists worry.

    Why is Earth’s temperature rising so fast? Every day, people around the globe burn millions of tons of oil, gas, and coal. Gasoline powers our cars and trucks. Oil runs the furnaces that heat our homes. Coal fuels power plants that make electricity. 

    Burning these fuels sends harmful gases into the air. The gases build up in our atmosphere. They trap heat from the sun close to Earth. Scientists call this the “greenhouse effect.” 

    No one knows how fast Earth will warm up in the future. Many scientists think temperatures could rise 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 100 years. Three degrees doesn’t seem like much. But those 3 degrees are enough to make the ice in Antarctica start to melt too quickly. 

    Why is Earth warming up so fast? Every day, people burn millions of tons of fuel. We power our cars with gasoline. We heat our homes with oil. We make electricity with coal. 

    When we burn these fuels, they make harmful gases. The gases build up in our atmosphere. They trap heat from the sun close to Earth. This is known as the “greenhouse effect.” 

    No one knows how fast Earth will warm up in the future. Experts think temperatures could rise 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 100 years. That might not seem like much. But it would make the ice in Antarctica melt too quickly.

    Why is Earth’s temperature rising so rapidly? Every day, people around the globe burn millions of tons of oil, gas, and coal. Gasoline powers our cars and trucks; oil runs the furnaces that heat our homes; and coal fuels power plants that produce electricity. 

    Burning these fuels releases harmful gases, which then accumulate in our atmosphere and trap heat from the sun close to Earth. Scientists call this the “greenhouse effect.” 

    No one knows how fast Earth will warm up in the future. Many scientists think temperatures could rise 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 100 years. Three degrees might not sound significant—but that’s enough to make the ice in Antarctica start to melt too quickly.

    Antarctica is thousands of miles from the world’s biggest cities. But the changes taking place in Antarctica could put cities along the world’s coastlines in danger. 

    How? As the ice in Antarctica melts, water flows into the ocean. When there’s more water in the ocean, sea levels rise all around the globe. Rising sea levels cause the ocean to flood  seaside towns.

    If global warming continues at its current pace, the ocean could rise as much as 6 feet in the next 100 years. Some scientists think all the ice in Antarctica could melt in 1,000 years. That would raise sea levels by nearly 200 feet.

    Thousands of years ago, humans survived rising sea levels without trouble. They lived in small groups. They hunted for food and moved often. There were no cities. As the ocean rose, people could easily move to higher ground.

    Today, we have massive cities on the world’s coastlines. A small rise in ocean levels could cause flooding all around the globe.

    So what could happen if the ice sheet in Antarctica melts completely?

    Some of the world’s biggest cities—like New York—could flood. 

    Antarctica is very far from the world’s biggest cities. But melting ice could still cause problems all over the world.  

    How? As ice in Antarctica melts, water flows into the ocean. More water in the ocean makes sea levels rise everywhere. Rising sea levels cause seaside towns to flood.

    If global warming keeps up at its current pace, the ocean could rise as much as 6 feet in the next 100 years. Some experts think all the ice in Antarctica could melt in 1,000 years. Sea levels would rise almost 200 feet.

    Thousands of years ago, humans survived rising sea levels just fine. People lived in small groups. They hunted for food. They moved often. There were no cities. When oceans rose, people just moved to higher ground.

    Today, we have big cities on coastlines. A small rise in sea levels could do great harm.

    So what could happen if all the ice in Antarctica melts?

    Some big cities, like New York, could flood.

    Antarctica is thousands of miles from the world’s biggest cities. But the changes taking place in Antarctica could put the world’s coastlines in danger. 

    As the ice in Antarctica melts, water flows into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise all around the globe. Rising sea levels cause the ocean to flood seaside towns.

    If global warming continues at its current pace, the ocean could rise as much as 6 feet in the next 100 years. Some scientists think all the ice in Antarctica could melt in 1,000 years. That would raise sea levels by nearly 200 feet.

    Thousands of years ago, humans survived rising sea levels without difficulty. People lived in small groups, hunted for food, and relocated frequently. There were no cities. As the ocean rose, people could easily move to higher ground.

    Today, we have massive cities on the world’s coastlines. A small rise in ocean levels could result in flooding all around the globe. 

    So what could happen if the ice sheet in Antarctica melts completely?

    Some of the world’s biggest cities—including New York—could experience major flooding. 

    Most of these changes won’t happen in your lifetime—or your grandchildren’s lifetime. Hopefully humans will have hundreds, maybe thousands, of years to adapt to rising sea levels. People will move away from the ocean and build new cities far from the coast.

    But humans may not even need to move away from the water. Experts are looking for new ways to keep coastal cities safe from rising sea levels. 

    For example, the Netherlands is one of the lowest countries on Earth. So the government has built tall walls along the coast. It has also built a 70-foot-high floodgate. This gate closes across a river to keep ocean water out.

    Still, many scientists say that the best way to protect our planet from flooding is to keep Earth from warming up too fast. And people are trying. Countries have promised to burn less oil, gas, and coal. New technologies use the wind and the sun to create electricity. New cars use less fuel. 

    Scientists hope these efforts will keep Earth cool longer—and keep Antarctica covered in ice. 

    Most of these changes won’t happen during your life. They might not happen during your grandchildren’s life. Humans might have hundreds, or thousands, of years to adapt to rising sea levels. 

    People will move away from the ocean. They’ll build new cities far from the coast.

    Or maybe they won’t have to. Experts are looking for new ways to deal with rising sea levels. 

    The Netherlands is one of the lowest countries on Earth. Leaders there have built tall walls along the coast. They have also built a floodgate. The gate is 70 feet high. It closes across a river. It keeps ocean water out.

    But the best way to protect Earth from flooding might be to slow down global warming. People are trying. Countries will burn less oil, gas, and coal. There are new technologies. They use the wind and the sun to make electricity. New cars use less fuel. 

    Experts hope these efforts will keep Earth cool longer. That way, Antarctica will stay covered in ice.

    Most of these changes won’t happen in your lifetime—or even your grandchildren’s lifetime. Hopefully humans will have hundreds, maybe thousands, of years to adapt to rising sea levels. People will move away from the ocean and build new cities farther inland.

    On the other hand, abandoning coastlines might prove unnecessary. Experts are developing new ways to protect coastal areas from rising sea levels. 

    For example, in the Netherlands—one of the lowest countries on Earth—the government has constructed tall walls along the coast. It has also built a 70-foot-high floodgate, which closes across a river to keep ocean water out.

    Still, the most effective way to protect our planet from flooding might be to prevent Earth’s temperatures from rising too rapidly—and many people are focused on this goal. Countries are committed to burning less oil, gas, and coal. New technologies use wind and solar power to create electricity, and new cars require less fuel. 

    Scientists hope these efforts will keep our planet cool longer—and keep Antarctica covered in ice.