Global warming cools parts of Earth
Frost flowers in polar sea ice
Earlier, we spoke with Thorsten Markus of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center about his finding that global warming might increase sea ice in Antarctica.
He told us that, in turn, more ice in the Antarctic could affect temperatures in other part of the globe as well.
Thorsten Markus: So if you have really more ice in the Antarctic, it could cause a more cooling effect because ice, you know, is white and reflects more sunlight, and this may balance some of the decrease in sea ice in the Arctic. And this can have a dramatic change on our climate system because our ocean is a buffer.
Markus says that it’s important to remember that global warming won’t lead to warmer temperatures everywhere.
Thorsten Markus: The misconception is that global warming means warmer air temperatures everywhere. This is certainly not the case. This is why some people think “Oh yeah, global increase in air temperature of one degree is really nothing. If we have 85 and in the future we have 86, it doesn’t make a big difference.” And it does not, but the temperature changes are different regionally. So we will have greater temperature changes in some areas. We may have even negative temperature changes in other areas. And this will effect the overall – our climate system.
Thanks to NASA explore, discover, understand.
Visit NASA’s Earth Observatory.
Our thanks to:
Thorsten Markus
Microwave Sensors Branch
Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
Additional Teacher Resources
EPA: Climate Change
The EPA Climate Change Site offers comprehensive information on the issue of climate change in a way that is accessible and meaningful to all parts of society – communities, individuals, business, states and localities, and governments.
NASA: Climate Change Resource Reel
From polar ice to phytoplankton, parts of the earth system are constantly changing. At NASA, scientists strive to better understand these changes and how they are interconnected. Using remote-sensing data from satellites, this research diagnoses our planet’s current health and will help future generations and explorers understand the earth system as a whole.
