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The white and shiny ice and snow reflects the sun's heat more than dark surfaces like land and open sea. This is called the albedo effect, and it explains why ice caps help to slow global warming.

Unfortunately, when the ice does melt, then the darker surfaces below absorb more heat, so global warming happens faster. This is called a feedback effect.

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11y ago
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12y ago

Al Gore is not a climate scientist, but a concerned citizen who has acquainted himself with the work of climate scientists. When he discusses facts about global warming, he will acknowledge that these are the facts according to the experts in the field.

White ice reflects the suns rays much better than water. This means that as the polar sea ice melts due to global warming, there is less ice to reflect the heat, resulting in more global warming. This is one example of positive feedback, whereby global warming can lead to more global warming.

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10y ago

When glaciers and ice caps melt, the water has to go somewhere. This will eventually lead to flooding and entire islands becoming covered with water. Glaciers also play an important part in regulating the temperature of the Earth.

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11y ago

Ice caps and ice sheets have a major influence on climate by reflecting large amounts of solar energy, thus making the areas on and around them even colder and drier. (Most of the snow that feeds the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets comes from the equatorward edges thereof where in the case of Greenland snowfall can reach twenty metres or more per year).

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10y ago

The Arctic ice cap reflects a lot of radiation because of its white and shiny surface. This is called the albedo effect. This helps slow global warming. If the ice melts, then the dark waters absorb the sun's heat more quickly, increasing the speed of the warming.

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Q: How do glaciers and ice caps help lessen the effect of global warming?
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