Published 16:10 IST, December 16th 2023

Images of floating icebergs from space reminds of ticking climate change bomb

Astronaut Andreas Mogensen currently aboard ISS reminded himself and the world of the rising sea levels which will submerge several countries by 2100.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
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Floating icebergs spotted from space. | Image: X/@Astro_Andreas
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Astronaut Andreas Mogensen currently living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently posted a couple of pictures that would change the perception of those who deny climate change. In early December, the astronaut from Denmark reminded himself and the world of the rising sea levels which will submerge several countries by 2100.

The pictures shared by Mogensen show icebergs visible as tiny white specks floating in the vast blue background. 

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Images of icebergs shared by Mogensen. Image: X/@Astro_Andreas

"I have to admit that if you had asked me before this mission, if you could see icebergs with your naked eye from space, I would have said, “No way,” Mogensen captioned his post.

Images of icebergs shared by Mogensen. Image: X/@Astro_Andreas

"Turns out that you can! We have been seeing lots of icebergs lately in the south Atlantic. Perhaps it’s their distinct geometry or perhaps the contrast in color, but they are very visible from space," he further said.

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"Seeing the icebergs float around reminds me of climate change, with glaciers melting at a rapid pace and rising sea levels. Places like the Maldives will most likely not exist in 70 years from now, having been submerged by the rising ocean," Mogensen said

The fear around Maldives is indeed real as the country is at the risk of losing 77% of its land area by 2100 if sea levels rise even by 1.5 feet, says the data by Union of Concerned Scientists.

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Moreover, European Union-funded Life Adaptate project says that Asian nations like China, Bangladesh and India will also be affected due to rise in sea level by 2100. A report by Life Adaptate said that 200 million people in Asia, including 27 million Indians, near coastal cities will be affected by climate change. 

Other nations threatened due to rise in sea levels are the US, Spain, Brazil, the UK, Egypt and Nigeria. Island nations like Kiribati, and Indonesia and Thailand in Asia are also facing the threat of being submerged. 
 

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16:10 IST, December 16th 2023