My Eco Movie Eight

Climate Challenge

The Arctic, located 1200 km from the North Pole, is warming up faster than other parts of the world. The once a coal mining hub is now a science village.

The Arctic Sea Cover has declined by over 30% in the last few years. This rapid ice melt has called the entire world’s attention, including Indian scientists who, by 2018, had set up a permanent research station; Himadri.

Scientists have been trying to understand the complex processes and the hydrological changes in the Arctic Fields.

Similar changes are being seen in the Himalayas. A global report predicts that a third of the Himalayas glaciers are expected to melt by the end of this century.

A situation predicted to intensify in the coming years could bring dire effects on the availability of water, food, and energy.

All major North Indian Rivers originate from the Himalayas, which directly support close to 1.5 Billion. According to the latest reports, there are about 9,575 glaciers in the Indian Himalayan Region. The melting glaciers are impacting the region and the global environment with changing climate.

A team of Indian scientists heads to the region to understand changing climate on these glaciers in the Lahul and Spiti Region. The group climbs to a height of over 5200 m above sea level in the accumulation zone of the glaciers.

At the frontline of climate change, the oceans’ experience is impacted by the increasing carbon dioxide levels. At 65 degrees south, the Southern Ocean, which connects the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean, has ice-clogged waters due to extreme conditions. 

The ocean has a significant influence on the earth’s pneumatic system. It stores more heat and transports more carbon dioxide than any other latitude on earth. Extreme conditions make it one of the worst places to conduct scientific experiments. Recently, the ocean has seen an increased acidity due to the large amounts of carbon dioxide clogged at the bottom of the sea.

The Arctic Permafrost is another source of carbon that is affected by changing climates. The degrading permafrost in the Arctic Region could pump billions of additional methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, a threat that must be dealt with. The falling permafrost is also affecting the infrastructure and the economy.