bild

Arctic sea ice, 1979. Satellite image of the minimum extent of sea ice around the North Pole in 1979. The ice covers much of the eastern coast of Greenland (centre right) and touches the northern coast of eastern Russia (centre left). Global warming since 1979 has greatly reduced the extent of sea ice in the Arctic. See image E205/091 for the situation in 2003. Data collected by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a Defense Meterological Support Program (DMPS) satellite. (KEYSTONE/Science Photo Library/NASA) ======