How Glacial Melt and Sea Level Rise Are Reshaping Our Planet
- weissangie121
- May 29
- 4 min read
Do you know what will happen when all the glaciers on Earth melt?
As global temperatures climb, the icy giants of our planet—glaciers and ice sheets—are disappearing at unprecedented rates. This isn’t just a distant concern for polar bears, seals and penguins; it’s a pressing problem that affects us all, from coastal communities in Africa to island nations in the Pacific.
The Accelerating Glacial Melt
The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets once thought to be relatively stable, are now melting at alarming rates.
In 2022, an extraordinary heatwave was recorded in East Antarctica. On March 18, the temperature near Concordia Station on the Antarctic Plateau recorded a temperature of -9.4°C, a whopping 40°C above normal. Yes, you did read it right. It was about 40°C warmer than usual. At Concordia Station, March serves as a transitional period into the Antarctic winter, and daily temperatures should be between -40°C and -50°C, so a balmy -9.4 °C was unprecedented. Scientists consider this a clear sign that even Earth’s coldest regions are no longer immune to climate change and global warming.
Extreme warming events like this weaken the structural integrity of thick ice sheets, accelerating ice loss into the surrounding ocean. As more ice melts and flows into the sea, it contributes directly to rising global sea levels, threatening coastal communities worldwide. This phenomenon is not isolated to Antarctica—the Greenland ice sheet is experiencing similar trends, making glacial melt one of the primary drivers of the rapid increase in sea levels observed over the past century.
According to satellite data, global sea levels have already risen by approximately 21–24 centimetres since 1880, with the rate of rise more than doubling in the last two decades. The melting of glaciers now contributes to over one-third of the total sea level rise (Islam, 2025).
The Glacial Melt and Sea Level Rise Cause Drinking Water Salinisation
As sea levels rise, saltwater moves inland, contaminating freshwater aquifers and estuaries. This phenomenon, known as saltwater intrusion, threatens contamination of all our clean drinking water, disrupts agriculture, and harms ecosystems vulnerable to salt.
Glaciers play a key role in this equation—seasonal meltwater helps sustain pressure in underground aquifers, preventing seawater from seeping in. But as glaciers shrink, this natural freshwater buffer diminishes, weakening the aquifers’ ability to resist saltwater encroachment (Islam, 2025).
The salinisation of freshwater sources is particularly troubling in low-lying coastal regions where clean water is already limited. As saline water infiltrates aquifers and river deltas, it contaminates water used for drinking and farming. This disruption can devastate crops and disturb biodiversity in estuaries and wetlands. In places like Bangladesh, the higher salt content in drinking water has been linked to rising rates of high blood pressure among the population, attributed to excess sodium in the drinking water.
Water salinisation is more than an environmental concern—it is a global humanitarian issue. It jeopardises food and water security and poses serious health risks, especially for vulnerable communities with limited access to clean water alternatives. And it all starts with global warming.
Water salinisation isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a humanitarian crisis threatening the health, food security, and resilience of millions
A Hidden Threat from Ancient Pathogens
Thawing glaciers and permafrost may also unleash pathogens that have been frozen for centuries. The World Health Organisation warns that global warming could indirectly lead to the spread of infectious diseases as ecosystems change and new microorganisms emerge. A notable example includes anthrax spores released during a 2016 Siberian permafrost thaw, causing illness and fatalities among the Siberian population.
Looking Ahead: A Call to Action
Our planet's climate is changing fast, and the signs of global warming are everywhere. But one of the clearest? The vanishing ice.
The WHO predicts that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year from heat stress, malnutrition, malaria, and diarrhoea if we fail to take decisive action against global warming and climate change.
The urgency is real. Governments, businesses, and individuals must all play a role in cutting emissions, protecting ecosystems, and adapting to the changes already underway.
So far, we have failed to stop global warming. Perhaps the slow pace of climate change makes us blind to the seriousness of the situation. To stop global warming, we should be cutting global emissions by 7% each year between now and 2030. Instead, we are increasing emissions by 1.5%. There is still no public pressure for climate action to halt global warming.
What are your views about global warming? Do you think it’s a real crisis, or is it just something scientists made up? Let us know in the comments, please! Or click the Heart if you liked the article.
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Sources
Islam, F. A. S. (2025). Global Impact of Climate Change: Glacial Melt, Sea Level Rise, Water Salinization, and Emergent Pathogen Risks. Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391311315
Earth.org. (n.d.). Antarctica Just Had a Heatwave — Scientists Are Alarmed. Retrieved from https://earth.org/antarctica-heatwave/
World Health Organisation (2023). Climate Change and Health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
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