Psst, hey, smartypants, trusty narrator here in a helicopter hovering over someplace very, very cold.
See if you can guess where I am.
But first, I'll let Chet Nickerson, whose news chopper we're borrowing, give you some hints.
Ready? Take it away, Chet.
This is Chet Nickerson reporting live with some hints as to the trusty narrator's whereabouts.
First, in the distance, I see big chunks of ice sticking out of the water.
Next, I spy a walrus sleeping on some ice below us.
And thirdly, through my binoculars, I can make out a hungry polar bear chasing a seal.
So, where am I, smartypants?
If you said the polar ice cap in the Arctic Sea, you're right!
Also with us is our pilot slash climate scientist, Jess.
Hello, smartypants.
Jess is about to set our whirlybird down on a smooth sheet of ice.
From there, she'll be taking some ice core samples back to a lab in northeast Alaska so she and her fellow scientists can conduct tests on them.
Roger, setting down at 42 .5 marker 22.
That's fancy helicopter talk for landing!
Roger that. Smartypants, besides the temperature, you wanna know what's really cool about this place?
It's nearly midnight and I'm wearing sunglasses because the sun is so bright!
Yup. In fact, it won't get dark the entire summer.
But why is that? It has to do with the Earth's position during the summer months.
The planet is tilted towards the sun and as it spins around counterclockwise, the top and bottom remain in place so both the north and south poles stay in constant sunlight.
That might make it hard to sleep!
Yup, or to even know when to sleep.
So, what do our listeners need to know about the polar ice caps?
Well, for starters, do you know what the term polar ice caps means?
I can answer that! No!
Polar ice caps are dome -shaped sheets of ice covering the 5 million square miles that exist at both the north and south poles, otherwise known as the arctic and Antarctic regions.
In other words, just like the name polar ice caps suggests, I should have guessed that.
Because of their positioning at high latitudes, they don't receive as much heat or radiation from the sun as many other places on Earth get.
So the ice in these two regions has built up for millions of years.
And, I suppose because the sun is hitting the two polar ice caps at a slanted angle, it's not as intense as it might be at the center of the planet known as the equator.
That's correct. But, as you and the smarty pants may have heard, the average temperature at each of the poles has been rising faster than ever before.
Yes, we've been hearing a lot about global warming lately, but how does that affect the polar ice caps?
What function or purpose do the polar ice caps even serve?
And what's causing them to melt so quickly?
And what might happen if we can't slow things down?
Great questions! It's time for some answers!
And another whiff of science and history on...
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Smarty Pants, let's play a quick guessing game.
Who or what is the biggest culprit when it comes to an increase in global warming?
Go ahead, shout out your answers!
I know! Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas!
Uh, thanks Chet. I also heard exhaust from cars and trucks.
Excellent. Cutting down trees?
Uh huh. Someone said smoke from factories.
All good answers. So good, in fact, they're all correct!
Yours too Chet. Nickerson shoots and scores!
Simply put, human activity is responsible for the increase in global warming.
Many of the things humans do, from burning oil and coal, to exhaust from cars and trucks, to smoke from factories, causes the release of carbon.
This carbon mixes with oxygen to create… What?
What does it create?
Did you say carbon dioxide or CO2?
Boom. Nailed it. When there's too much carbon dioxide in the air, it gets trapped up in the atmosphere – what we call the greenhouse effect.
And just like a greenhouse, which is used to grow plants in cold climates, the hot air can't escape the Earth, causing the planet to get warmer and warmer and warmer.
Okay, trusty, you and Chet can carry these metal cylinders out onto the ice.
I'll grab the drill.
So we'll be drilling into the ice?
Yep. This is how we take an ice core sample from deep down inside a glacier.
I see, and what do these ice core samples tell us?
They measure the air, or more specifically, the CO2 and other gases in the air.
They provide important information about how Earth's climate has changed over time.
I see, kind of like the rings in a tree tell us about its life.
Exactly, Chet. Another point for Nickerson.
These samples will tell us what the climate was like going back 100 years or so.
Unfortunately, the past 75 years have seen more increased levels of carbon dioxide and other heat -trapping gases than ever before.
Yikes. How often do you collect samples, Jess?
About every six months.
Some samples even require a humongous drill that bores over a mile deep into the Antarctic.
And those ice samples can tell us what happened nearly a million years ago.
Whoa. To give you some perspective, the Earth was still in the middle of an ice age a million years ago, and the average temperature was about 18 degrees Fahrenheit or 8 degrees Celsius colder than it is now.
Our research shows there's been more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last 60 years or so than there was in the 20 ,000 years prior.
Thanks to human activity.
Here we are. You can drop those cylinders while I set up the drill.
So Jess, I think the smarty pants want to know why are the polar ice caps so important?
Excellent question.
The polar caps are vital because the white snow and ice reflect the sun's rays back up into space rather than absorbing them like landmass does.
Ah, kind of like a built -in mirror to cool the planet.
Exactly. They act as a natural balance of extremes.
Ah. Unfortunately, less ice means less reflected heat.
Ah. True or false, smarty pants?
Increased heat means an increase in extreme weather patterns like heat waves, floods, and hurricanes.
Unfortunately, the answer is true.
But surprisingly, it also means more intense winters, too.
Wait, how could a warmer planet lead to a colder winter?
Because the warmer the weather gets at the poles, the more it destabilizes the upper atmosphere, causing the frosty jet streams, which are fast -moving winds, to dip down further than normal.
So it's not just global warming, but also global cooling.
It's global everything.
Did you know the polar ice caps also retain the majority of all the fresh water that exists on our planet?
Smarty pants, guess how much of the Earth's fresh water supply is locked up in glaciers and the polar ice caps?
Is it A, 25%, B, 50%, or C, 70 %?
If you said C, 70%, you're right!
Unfortunately, a warmer climate causes the polar ice caps to melt.
And as all that fresh water enters the seas and oceans, it causes the sea levels to… To what, Smarty Pants?
What does all that fresh water entering the ocean cause the ocean to do?
Did you say, rise? That's right!
And when the ocean rises, where does the water go?
On land! The water has no place to go, but on land!
Which means... Major flooding.
Especially on the coasts and island countries and territories.
Which is where a lot of people work and live in big cities.
That's not all. All the fresh water entering the ocean also messes up the balance in the aquatic ecosystem.
Plankton and other marine microorganisms, which work similarly to trees in that they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, can't handle all that fresh water entering the oceans.
That means less oxygen.
Wow! Is there any way to measure how thick the polar ice caps are?
Absolutely. NASA uses multiple satellites to track how much the Arctic is covered in sea ice, but measuring its thickness requires a special laser called ICESAT -2.
It sends down 10 ,000 pulses of light from space and measures the amount of time it takes for the pulses to return.
I'm picturing a giant life -shaver beaming down from space!
Kind of. In the 15 or so years they've been operating this system, it's estimated the ice thickness has decreased 20%.
That is... not good.
No. Unfortunately, many people don't realize how important a role the ice caps play in our planet's survival.
What would Earth be like without the polar ice caps?
Good question, Chet.
The answer right after this quick break.
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Now back to who smarted.
Okay, just just drilled into the polar ice caps and removed several samples.
I assume they need to stay frozen on the ride back.
Yep, which is why I brought this special freezer.
Now departing 42 .5 marker 22 wins our Southwest 15 knots.
Their mission accomplished.
The team heads for home.
Well not home, back to the lab, where we'll analyze the ice core samples.
From that, Jess will be able to gather direct information about how greenhouse gas has changed in the past and provide direct evidence how humans are affecting the climate today.
Nice, trusty narrator.
I think you could have been a climatologist yourself.
Thanks, but I prefer trusty narrating.
So what would Earth look like without the polar ice caps?
Do you have your time machine app handy?
I never go smarting without it.
Try punching in 100 years in the future.
Just 100? Okay, here goes.
Um, I don't see any glaciers or animals, just lots and lots of water.
That's because there's no ice.
Polar bears, walruses, and seals need a place to rest, hunt, and breed.
Without the solid icy landmass, they can't survive.
Remember I said the polar ice caps act like a big mirror reflecting the sun's rays?
I remember. I said it.
You're now seeing the future effects of what happens if the planet gets too warm too quickly.
Without the polar ice caps providing cool balance, all the ice will melt.
And that won't just affect life up at the poles.
It'll change ecosystems around the globe, and not in a good way.
So what are some things we can do to slow down the effects of global warming?
The main thing everyone can do is to practice conservation in your everyday life.
I see! Care to give us some examples?
Simple things like recycling, turning off lights in rooms you're not in, and shutting down electronic devices when they're not in use can help.
That sounds easy enough!
Also, ask your adults not to leave the car running when they're just waiting.
By conserving energy, not only do you save money on energy costs, you're also helping save the planet!
Well said, Chet. And remember, the more we move away from fuels that release carbon into the atmosphere, and towards renewable energy sources, the better it is for the planet.
Now let's go back to the past and use what we learned to keep this from being our future.
A super shout out to Superfan Haven in Sumner, Washington!
We hear you've listened to every episode of Who Smarted and love them all.
Now that's what we call smarting!
Thanks! This episode, Polar Ice Caps, was written by Dave Davis and voiced by Kierna Conner, Adam Tex Davis, and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colmer.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
