National Geographic GIF.
In the past 16 years, Arctic ice sheets have shrunk so drastically that National Geographic has been forced to make the biggest change in its atlas since the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991. Nat Geo released a GIF that shows just exactly how dire the situation has become since 1991.
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According to Nat Geo, the dissipating ice caps are a result of rising ocean temps due to global climate change. If you didn't notice, Obama just released a plan to combat this by reducing carbon emissions by supporting renewable energy efforts and reducing pollution related public health issues.
The Arctic's shrinking has come as the ice extent in the Antartic has reached historic highs, confusing some into thinking that climate change must not be happening. But while the growth of sea ice down South has thrown scientists a curveball, for which they are discussing a variety of different explanations, it's worth noting that the Arctic has lost much more ice than the Antartic has gained–about three times as much.
