North Pole Could Melt This Summer

[영어도우미]

North Pole Could Melt This Summer

For the first time in human history, all the ice at the North Pole could melt this summer, according to scientists. "I'd say it's even odds whether the North Pole melts out," said Mark Serreze of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Center.

"Symbolically it is hugely important," Serreze said. "There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water." Last year, Arctic ice melted enough to open the long-sought Northwest Passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific.

Projections in recent years predicted the North Pole would be ice-free within a few decades. Scientists worry that a rapid melt-off could endanger permafrost and affect lands north of the Arctic circle. There is no land at the North Pole.

SOURCE: news.yahoo.com 

VOCABULARY LIST :

sought - past tense and past participle of seek.

permafrost - permanently frozen subsoil, occurring throughout the Polar Regions and locally in perennially frigid areas.

DISCUSSION POINTS :

1. If the North Pole melts completely at anytime, how can this affect your country?

2. What preventive measures is your country conducting for this catalysmic event?

3. What are scientists doing to solve this problem?

4. What are the main causes which lead to the melting of the polar ice caps?

5. What are the possible problems that can happen if ever this incident takes place?

6. How can you help in preventing the melting of North and South Poles?