Tamara Klink became the second woman to sail through the Northwest Passage in September, something that would have been difficult to do only three decades ago unless you had an icebreaker ship. According to Phys.org, the Brazilian saw very little ice on her journey.
What's happening?
The Northwest Passage is a route from Greenland to Alaska that takes two months to complete. According to Klink's team, she is only the 14th person to complete this journey.
Klink told AFP: "The sea ice is melting during summertime ... so smaller boats are able to pass and smaller crew are able to do this long trip."
She only saw 9% of the expected ice on her 4,000-mile journey. After speaking to scientists and local people, including hunters, she found that this is a growing trend — there is less ice every year.
2024 was the hottest year on record, with temperatures surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) "above preindustrial levels for the first time," per Phys.org.
"This is part of a trend that will be very difficult to reverse if we don't act with bold decisions, if we don't make courageous choices in this decade," Klink said.
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Why is disappearing ice concerning?
As the ice continues to melt during the summer, it has dire consequences for local communities, such as the Himalayas, where locals rely on that ice for their drinking water.
Melting ice can also flood lakes and raise sea levels. This can cause severe erosion, leading to land loss. It also contributes to stronger storm surges.
According to journalist and tech investor Molly Wood, while extreme weather events were already going to occur, rising temperatures intensify them, potentially bringing stronger storm surges as sea levels rise.
What's being done about disappearing ice?
Melting glaciers is a crucial climate issue that needs to be addressed before it's too late to reverse, as Klink warned.
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Society also needs to lessen its reliance on dirty energy sources that cause polluting gases that warm the planet.
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