The last piece of Arctic ice is disappearing.

In the Arctic Circle north of Greenland, there is a "last ice zone". There is thick ice here all year round, even in the summer when the temperature is the highest.

Recently, however, scientists have discovered that under the influence of global climate change, these ice layers have become very fragile. In the summer of 2020, the "Wandehai" east of the "last ice zone" lost half of its ice, and the ice rate reached a record low.

Although the short-term weather influence has played a certain role in promoting the retreat of the ice area, the thickness of the ice here generally tends to become thinner year by year.

Studies have shown that under normal circumstances, ocean currents will transport a large number of ice floes to this area. However, in 2020, the south wind blew abnormally here, and a large number of ice floes were blown away, forming a large open sea area. Sea water is heated by exposure to sunlight, which further promotes the melting of ice.

As early as 20 18, scientists found a series of abnormal "ice caves" here; By 2020, the researchers found that the monitoring ship they put into the sea took a strange route, which crossed a sea area usually covered by thick ice.

Researchers believe that 20% of the disappearance of the "Wandehai" ice layer in 2020 is directly related to climate change, and 80% is attributed to the abnormality of wind and ocean currents.

We will see more and more open seas here in the future. According to the trend, researchers estimate that the ice sheet of "Wandehai" will disappear completely in 2040. Although the researchers did not give the time when the whole ice area disappeared completely, it may not be too late.

Animals living in the Arctic are most directly affected by the disappearance of ice. Many of these animals are based on floating ice. They want to feed the next generation on the ice and hunt on the ice. The disappearance of ice floes is a disaster for them.

Scientists had hoped that the "last ice zone" would give wildlife the last refuge. But if one day, there are no ice floes in the Arctic in summer, how can these animals survive?