Hello Friends,                              

This month we will be discussing further details about the arctic trip and expedition which I participated in this past summer. I would like to share some unique experiences and things I learned while on the trip through this article. Climate change is an issue which affects us all globally. In the arctic I was able to experience this first hand when I was able to stand on a part of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In the first part of this article, I would like to discuss the issue of sea level rise and its link to the melting of the Greenland Ice Cap. I was able to discuss this issues with leading glaciologists and climate scientists while on the arctic expedition.

The Greenland Ice Cap extends nearly 1.7 million square kilometers across the island of Greenland. This area is nearly three times that of the State of Texas, to give a perspective of the vastness of the ice sheets. The Greenland Ice sheet contains a massive quantity of water and the consequences of the melting of this ice sheet are on a similarly massive magnitude. It is estimated by the United States National Snow and Ice Data Centre that the melting of this ice sheet will cause a total global sea level rise of nearly 7 meters. It is generally agreed upon within the scientific community that such a sea level rise could be happening as we speak due to human influences and that human induced warming has the potential to trigger such melting over the course of centuries. However, the time period over which this melting will occur is still a topic of debate. However, multiple studies warn that due to positive feedback loops which exist in our climate system, the human induced warming could cause the melt of the ice cap much faster then what is forecasted by IPCC models over the course of decades and centuries.

The effects of such a melt would be colossal. Many coastal communities would be submerged. From a North American perspective: New Orleans, many communities in the Canadian Maritimes, and the eastern and western seaboards would be submerged. Furthermore, in Europe, entire countries would be engulfed in water as the sea rises. The cities of London and Paris as well as the country of the Netherlands and Denmark would be underwater. Considering these effects, it becomes clear that the effect of the entirely possible scenario of the Greenland Ice Cap melting would fundamentally impact human civilization. Science currently is fighting against time to successfully create accurate models which can help us predict this process. However, the climate system is one such that there are a multitude of different variables, many of which are not completely understood, and hence cannot be incorporated into a numerical scheme of a model.

Discussing these matters which accomplished scientists and researchers, it became clear the extent of the damage posed by sea level rise as a result of human induced climate change. However, a last connection I would briefly like to discuss is the people. People around the world will be affected over the course of centuries. This is perhaps why we should be concerned about this issue. However, something which is often forgotten is that the people living in Greenland, Canada?s North islands, and Alaska are already being effected by the issue of climate change and the melting of glaciers. If we consider the fact that climate change is important because of the people who will be affected, then we must also realize that people are currently being affected by these issues. Their lifestyles and livelihoods are affected. I was able to experience and see these things first hand during my expedition and I can say that noticing these things is inspiring enough to realize action against climate change cannot wait until the entire world starts to notice dire consequences we must act now because there are people who are being affected now.

The picture below is one from my personal collection of large ice bergs we saw in Northern Canada. It was taken on my phone, however it shows that even a small camera has the potential to capture stunning moments. 

Kindest Regards,

Nitish