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The polar ice caps are extremely sensitive to climate change. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, "even a small increase in temperature can lead to greater warming over time," and begin a chain reaction that leads to a cycle of warming and melting. The warmer air melts the surface of the ice cap, producing meltwater ponds. In addition to snow-melt flowing off the ice cap, it also trickles into the ice through cracks and fissures, eroding and thinning the ice. In recent years, this process has caused ice shelves to collapse, glaciers to retreat and sea ice to melt faster than snow can accumulate. Because ice then has less reflective capability, it absorbs more solar energy, which causes even more melting. Nowhere is this more evident than at the polar ice caps. If the current warming trend continues, the National Resources Defense Council speculates that "summers in the Arctic could become ice-free by the end of the century."

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