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Mahesh

04/10/22 15:35 PM IST

Melting of Arctic Ice

In News 
  • Recently, a team of researchers has flagged the changing chemistry of the western region of the Arctic Ocean.
Major Findings 
  • The research discovered that the acidity levels in Arctic seas are increasing three to four times faster than ocean waters elsewhere.
  • Seawater is normally alkaline, with a pH value of around 8.1.
  • The team also identified a strong correlation between the accelerated rate of melting ice and the rate of ocean acidification.
  • Scientists Point to sea-ice melt as the key mechanism to explain this rapid pH decrease, because it changes surface water in three primary ways:
  • The water under the sea ice, which had a deficit of carbon dioxide, now is exposed to the atmospheric carbon dioxide and can take it up freely.
  • The seawater mixed with meltwater is light and can’t mix easily into deeper waters, which means the carbon dioxide is concentrated at the surface.
  • The meltwater dilutes the carbonate ion concentration in the seawater, weakening its ability to neutralise the carbon dioxide into bicarbonate and rapidly decreasing ocean pH.
Arctic Ocean 
  • It is commonly understood to refer to the region above the Arctic Circle, north of latitude 66° 34' N, which includes the Arctic Ocean with the North Pole at its centre.
  • Arctic Council: Eight Arctic States-Canada, Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and USA form the Arctic Council.
  • The Arctic is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which approximately one tenth are considered as indigenous people.
  • The Arctic Ocean and its surrounding landmass has been a topic of immense interest and a high-priority area of research among the global scientific fraternity as well as of importance to policy makers.
  • The Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the earth's ecosystem.
Source- Indian Express 

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