December 11, 2003

» The North Pole is melting

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Wadhams points to a darker side. He says that about 7 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered by sea ice, much of it in the Arctic. Without sea ice, the planet would be a very different place. "The ice-covered seas represent the cold end of the enormous heat engine that enables the Earth to have temperatures suitable for human life over most of its surface," he explains.