Banchisa: What is and how is it formed

The bench, or also called Marino ice, is a seasonal or mobile ice layer that is formed in the polar oceanic regions by freezing And it can last several months and even years. Its thickness varies from few to several meters. Discover the characteristics of the polar climate.

Sea ice is very sensitive to small temperature changes: it is formed during the cold winter months, when the ocean water freezes forming giant blocks and then partially melts in the warm summer months. This cycle is repeated every year.

There are two banquisas that scientists have been studying for years from satellite measurements: the Arctic and Antarctic banks. Continue reading to discover what its characteristics are.

Arctic Banch

The Arctic Ocean is north of the Arctic Polar Circle and limits with the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. According to NASA data, although the formation of banquisas in the Arctic has been permanent, the general tendency of recent years is clear: The Arctic is losing sea ice throughout the year and this loss is likely to be even greater because of global warming. This is because the average temperature on the Arctic has increased significantly in the last 50 years and consequently the thaw process is increasing. Unlike the Antarctic bench, the growth of the Arctic ice area in winter is limited by the continental masses that surround almost entirely to the Arctic Glacial Ocean.

Antarctic Banch

Located in the southern hemisphere of planet Earth, the Antarctic bench usually disappear mostly during the southern summer And it is formed again during the winter, being able to reach an extension similar to that of the continent. In the cold months, known as polar night, the extension of sea ice can reach 18.8 million km². However, during the polar day, the next six months in which the sun never gets to put on this can suffer a decrease of 2.6 million km².

In this article you can know the data on the thaw of the poles.

Although the banquisas on their surface offer us a completely white and bleak landscape that seems devoid of life, they house a Large percentage of biodiversity and many of the species that live there depend on the land environment to complete their life cycle. Some develop part of this cycle in the ice, but others need surfaces not covered by it to survive.

He impact of global warming In the Antarctic megafauna it is not as remarkable as in the Arctic, where the loss of sea ice, negatively influences the reproductive success and survival of some species, such as the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Also, although the impact is less, the seals of Greenland (Pagophilus groenlandendic) and the helmet seals (Cystophora Cristata) are also affected because they need the presence of the banquisas to be able to raise their young.

Here are a list of some species that can be found in the Arctic banquisas:

• Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
• MORSA (ODOBENUS ROSMARUS)
• Greenlanda seal (Pagophilus groenlandende)
• Arctic fox (vulpes lagopus)
• Narval (monodon monoceros)

Discover what are the animals in danger of extinction of the North Pole.

In the Antarctic banquisas There are other species, such as:

• King penguin (Aptenodytes Patagonicus)
• Yellow Penacho Pink (Eudyptes Chrysocome)
• Antarctic Petrel (macronectes giganteus)
• Southern Franca Ballena (Eubalaena Australis)
• Leoparda seal (Hydurga Leptonyx)

In this article you can learn more about what animals live in the North and South Pole.

A bench is formed from surface water freezing Because the bottom water does not cool enough due to the specific heat of water and its remarkable resistance to temperature change. To begin the saltwater solidification process –1.8 ° C are needed (Crioscopic descent). In the first place, small crystals of pure water are formed that are gathering little by little until the bench is constituted by a large ice aggregate.

Did you know that during the freezing process of marine water, it turns out to be excluded from ice crystals? Since inorganic salts turn out to be excluded from ordered molecular structures that make up the ice mantle.

We recommend reading this article about what the hydrosphere is: definition and characteristics.

Banques fulfill a fundamental role related to their ability to regulate atmospheric heat balance and of the oceans, since they reflect an important solar radiation during the summer and function as thermal insulator in winter.

Also, they make up a Habitat holding numerous trophic networksbecause it constitutes a food, reproduction and breeding site for many species. Sea ice is also a faithful indicator of impacts related to global warming and climate change.

Now that you know what the banquis is and how it is formed, we recommend this other ecology article about perpetual ice: climate, flora, fauna and images.

If you want to read more articles similar to Banchisa: What is and how is it formedwe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.