Melting of the ice in the Arctic and glaciers in Antarctica cause climate and social change, but not the same since they are both geographically and ecologically different.

Arctic Ice Melting: The Arctic, which is situated in the Northern Hemisphere, has an impact on the polar front or the jet stream that controls the weather in North America, Europe and Asia. Whenever the ice in the Arctic thins down, the albedo warming decreases, therefore increasing the amount of energy that the atmosphere retains from the sun. This may slow down the jet stream, thus leading to adverse conditions, including persistent heat, cold, and wet weather in the temperate world. For human activities, this leads to increased numbers and intensities of natural disasters, especially affecting agriculture, infrastructure, and the economy of the countries in the northern hemisphere. Besides, climate change results in new maritime transport of goods and the availability of resources, creating geopolitical concerns.

Antarctic Glacier Melting: The Antarctic, found in the southern region of the globe, is characterized by huge amounts of ice sheets. The implication here is that a lot of melting that occurs here adds to the water in the seas and oceans, hence contributing to the rising sea levels that are a menace to coasts all over the globe. At the same time, the Arctic affects the atmospheric weather conditions more directly, although it is not very significant compared to the Arctic, which plays the most critical role in controlling ocean currents and global thermohaline circulation. Variations in these currents can change the climate over decades, thereby affecting ocean life, fish yield, and the world’s climate. It could lead to the loss of coastal structures and infrastructure as well as freshwater sources and cause massive shifts in population, mainly in the low-lying areas.