A huge glacier broke off from Antarctica and broke into pieces / Reuters
Climate experts say a "super vortex" in Antarctica is now accelerating, with the world's population being warned it could melt thousands of kilometers of sea ice at a record pace and bring real danger. The weather phenomenon, known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), has been described as "the most powerful and fastest current on Earth" by experts. One Columbia University geochemist called it "probably the most important current of the Earth's climate system." The gyre now appears to be moving faster than ever, and is said to be destroying more sea ice than at any time in its 14 million year history.
This is bad news for humanity, a group of 40 scientists argued earlier this year, as more melting sea ice could lead to a rise in the world's sea level and a situation where part of humanity would find itself under frozen water - as in the successful movie "The Day After Tomorrow". "This loss of ice can be attributed to increased heat transport to the south," said Dr. Frank Lammy, lead author of the study. "A stronger ACC means more warm, deep water reaching the edge of the Antarctic ice shelf."
The "super vortex" is a product of climate change, with many taking to social media to compare what's happening now to the perhaps not-so-fictional movie "The Day After Tomorrow." One wrote: "I saw it in a movie once," while another added: "When will it happen? Maybe the day after tomorrow!". Third added: "It could happen anytime from now until the day after tomorrow."
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However, news of the super cyclone comes just weeks after other weather experts told the Daily Star that it had effectively been "written off". Exacta forecaster James Madden said a "stratospheric sudden warming (SSW)" that occurred in February could have blocked the vortex. SSW occurs when temperatures in the stratosphere rise and cold air descends rapidly in the polar vortex. This in turn can cause changes in the jet stream and tends to bring cold waves. Changes in the jet stream can also create areas of blocking pressure, which maintain cold conditions for extended periods. It was this process that led to the infamous "Beast from the East" in 2018. "However, this particular Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is really winning this time in terms of erasing the polar vortex and almost every output and scenario reviewed after that puts us in a strong blocking pattern over several sustained periods from late February and into March/early April," he said at the time.
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A post shared by Jeff White (@saveourbluworld).
Earlier this year, experts predicted that the melting glaciers could shut down the Gulf Stream - the current system that brings warmth to the Northern Hemisphere. Without this additional heat source, average temperatures could drop by several degrees in North America, parts of Asia and Europe - and people would witness "serious and divisive consequences around the world", including a situation where Europe would go into a deep freeze. Besides plunging temperatures, this scenario will expand Arctic ice farther south, increase heat in the Southern Hemisphere, change global rainfall patterns, and disrupt the Amazon rainforest. Other scientists say it would be a catastrophe that could cause food and water shortages around the world.
The fact that there is not enough data to determine the chances that such a disaster will materialize has caused many experts to come out against the claim that the Gulf Stream will collapse in 2025 and to claim that the research is just meant to generate headlines and scare the public.
More on the same topic:
Antarctica
glaciers
global warming
Climate change
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