12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’
12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow
POLAR REGIONS AND THE EARTH’S CLIMATE
Prem Chand Pandey
Center for Oceans Rivers Atmosphere and Land Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur 721 302.
email:pcpandey@coral.iitkgp.ernet.in
Polar regions are vital for earth’s climate and its sustainability. The vast
continental ice sheet if melts, has the potential to raise global sea level by several
meters. Sea ice in both Polar Regions provides a link to the deep thermohaline
circulation and the surface circulation thus invigorating the entire ocean ecosystem. The
variability of sea ice extent has the influence on the fluxes between ocean and
atmosphere and hence modifies the circulation patterns. The ozone at Antarctica hole
discovered by Joe Farman of British Antarctic Survey has alarmed the entire world
about the effect of chemical pollutants in our earth’s environment and the subsequent
remedial steps taken globally through Montreal Protocol is an example of the
importance of polar regions. Recent International Polar Year (2007-2009) which has
just been concluded has given new impetus to Polar programmes globally.
India has an ambitious polar programme with a dedicated centre at Goa focusing
on Polar Regions which also includes the studies of the southern ocean. This has
provided unique platform to many national and international scientists to pursue polar
research in various domains of science. Ice cores and sediment cores in the southern
ocean provides climate history. We will review the development related to earth’s
climate and the polar regions.
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