Cause

• Greenhouse gases are responsible for contributing to global warming because they trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, causing the planet to become hotter. The main identified sources of greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, the trapping of heat causes average temperatures to rise, which, in turn, melts icecaps.
  
  

Statistics

• According to a November 2004 article in "National Geographic News" by Brian Handwerk, the ice in the Arctic and in Greenland is melting at a rate that has scientists projecting it could be gone by the close of the century. An Arctic climate study was conducted for four years and revealed that average temperatures in eastern Russia, western Canada and Alaska increased as much as 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit in the previous 50 years. While these averages may not seem like much, they are twice the global average, which brings alarm and concern with respect to icecaps.
  
  

Polar Bears

• Polar bears are unable to survive with the melting of icecaps. Many of them drown or die from starvation for lack of food. Their hunting abilities are limited due to the decrease of icecaps, which polar bears use as hunting stations out at sea. Other creatures that reside in the Arctic such as seals are in danger of dying.
  
  

Rising Sea Levels

• Rising temperatures caused by global warming put Arctic icecaps and Greenland in danger of melting. If Greenland ice sheets were to melt, it is predicted to cause sea levels to rise an average of 23 feet by the end of the 21st century. The effects of melted icecaps would be recognized everywhere in the world as low coastal areas, such as Florida, become flooded. People who live near the coast would be forced to move inland.
  
  

Climate Changes

• As icecaps melt, temperatures will rise in the Arctic, giving Arctic lands longer summers and shorter periods of winter. The region may experience climate changes that also bring a variety of unfortunate weather patterns, such as hurricanes, due to the combining of extreme temperatures.