Sea ice at South Pole was stable 100 years ago!

Q.  100 years back which Antarctic explorers documented that sea ice has remained the same in the past century?
- Published on 28 Nov 16

a. Ernest Shackleton
b. Robert Scott
c. Both of the above
d. Neither of the above

ANSWER: Both of the above
 
Sea ice at South Pole was stable 100 years ago!Ice observations recorded by Antarctic explorers 100 years ago showed that sea ice at the South Pole has barely changed in size over the last century.

Ship logbooks of explorers such as Captain Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton have been used to compare where the Antarctic ice edge was during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Heroic age of Antarctic Exploration lasted from 1897-1917.

Study postulates that Antarctic sea ice is much less sensitive than Arctic ice to effects of climate change.

Extent of Antarctic summer sea ice is 14 percent smaller than during the early 1900s.

Sea ice in the Antarctic has risen slightly over the past 30 years since satellite observations commenced.

Findings of South Pole Explorers
  • Study is the first to shed light on sea ice before 1930s
  • Research suggests sea ice levels in early 1900s were similar to today
  • The current sea ice levels are between 5.3 and 7.4 million square kilometres
  • Only one region, the Weddell Sea, had a significantly higher ice cover
  • Published research indicates sea ice was more in the 1950s
  • A steep decline returned it to 6 million square km in past 10 years

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