Independent Research Project Antarctica’s Ice Melting Problem Student: Jurem Ortencio Teacher: Mrs Perera Class: 8H Subject: Humanities

Antarctica In General Antarctica is situated over the South Pole. It’s shape is kind of circular with part of the Antarctic Peninsula stretching towards South America. Two very large indentations are the Ross and Weddell seas and their ice shelves. The total surface area is about 14.2 million sq km. In the winter Antarctica doubles in size due to the sea ice that forms around the coasts. The true boundary of Antarctica is not the coastline of the continent itself or the outlying islands, but the Antarctic Convergence.

My Problem On Antarctica The ice caps in Antarctica are melting faster than scientists had first thought. Melting in the Antarctic Peninsula removes sea ice that once held back the movement of glaciers. As a result, glaciers flow into the ocean up to six times faster than before. If ice continues to melt then sea levels will rise approximately 11-77cm’s.

What’s Causing This Problem? Antarctica’s Ice Caps are melting because of Global Warming and natural causes. Scientists believe the ice is mostly melting by natural cause but global warming has increased the melting rate. Several major sections of Antarctica have already melted.

Information A giant ice shelf the size of Scotland is melting rapidly in the Antarctic, scientists have warned today. Two sections of the Larsen ice shelf collapsed in 1995 and Now satellite measurements have confirmed that it has thinned by as much as 18 metres more than usual in the past decade, because of a warmer ocean. The report comes a day after a University College London report in the journal Nature confirmed a 40% thinning of the ice in the Arctic Ocean in the past 30 years. The shelf covers approximately 27,000 sq miles and is on average 300 metres deep. Its faster rate of melting is releasing an extra 21bn tonnes of icy water into the oceans each year. This is equivalent to eight times the annual flow of the river Thames. Warmer oceans, as well as warmer air, are now thought to play an important part in the process.