The melting of Antarctica's glaciers could have catastrophic consequences for coastal regions around the world, including Ukraine. If the ice cover of the continent and other regions of the planet melts completely, the level of the World Ocean will rise by about 70 meters, which will lead to the flooding of many cities, including Odessa. This was stated by polar explorer, meteorologist-ozonometrist Oleksandr Poluden in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, currently Ukraine is located in a zone of relatively stable and comfortable climate. Extreme natural phenomena, such as typhoons, tsunamis or powerful hurricanes, rarely occur here. However, with climate change, the situation may significantly worsen - so-called temperature corridors and other extreme phenomena will appear, which will affect people, infrastructure and ecosystems.
Poluden explained that Odesa is located at an altitude of only 36–39 meters above sea level, so in the event of a significant rise in the ocean, the city will be at risk. A similar threat, he said, applies to most world megacities, since a significant part of large cities are located on the coasts.
In addition to flooding, melting glaciers will have other serious consequences. The release of huge volumes of fresh water into the ocean will lead to its desalination, which will radically change the conditions for marine organisms. This can provoke the disappearance of individual species and trigger chain reactions in food chains.
The polar explorer also emphasized that alarming signals of global warming are already being recorded in Antarctica. In particular, four earthquakes occurred in the Drake Passage, the waves of which reached the area of the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadsky", which is atypical for this region.
Additionally, scientists are seeing an almost complete lack of new ice because the ocean is not cooling enough for it to form. This is causing local animals to lose their natural shelter and food base and be forced to migrate further south.
