 |
NEXT IMAGE >>
North Svalbard A big part of the problem is that as bright-white ice melts it turns to dark water. Ice reflects sunlight back into space but the black water just soaks it up, warming rapidly and melting the surrounding ice. That creates yet more dark water that melts yet more ice. This runaway feedback loop explains why temperatures are rising faster in the Arctic that anywhere else—and why it is the first place we should look for an early warning that climate change is on its way to the whole planet. |