Polar Ice

One of the results of global warming is melting of the polar ice cap. The north pole is expected to be ice-free during summer as early as 2030 — even earlier by some accounts. In part this is due to the phenomenon of “polar amplification.” Global warming has hit the arctic harder than the rest of the globe; the rate of warming there is more than double the global rate. As a result, the polar ice cap is melting — rapidly. In fact, arctic sea ice extent is at an all-time low. Here’s the latest graph (you can view this, and others, at cryosphere today).