QUESTION 15
GS1
15 marks
How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Explain how melting Arctic sea ice and Antarctic glaciers have different effects on weather and human activity.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Arctic: floating sea ice, so little sea-level rise; albedo loss, Arctic amplification, weaker jet stream, extreme weather in mid-latitudes; new shipping routes and resource race≈50 words
- 2Antarctic: land-based ice sheets, so major sea-level rise; changes to ocean circulation and salinity≈50 words
- 3Human effects: coastal flooding, displacement, fisheries, indigenous livelihoods≈50 words
- 4India link: monsoon variability and coastal risk≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Distinguish sea ice vs ice sheetWeather effects eachHuman effects eachIndia angleConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Treating both poles as the same
- Missing the sea-level difference between floating and land ice
Draw this
- Two-column table: Arctic vs Antarctic effects
Value addition
- DataAntarctica holds enough land ice to raise sea level by about 58 m if fully melted; Arctic sea ice adds almost nothing because it already floats.IPCC AR6 WG1
- FactThe Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average (Rantanen et al., 2022).Communications Earth & Environment, 2022
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Abhishek Singh · Page 21 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Ritika Chitlangia · Page 22 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.