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The Arctic Ice Is Melting

Scientists sounded the alarm yet again last week after a series of bad breaks in the Arctic. Recently, a massive chunk of ice broke away from Ellesmere Island, in Arctic Canada. The ice covered 19 square miles.

This ice chunk, the Markham Ice Shelf, is now drifting in the Arctic Ocean. Ice shelves are thick sheets of sea ice that have formed over thousands of years. They are attached to land and are home to many rare species.

Two other Ellesmere ice shelves lost big pieces. The Serson Ice Shelf shrank by 60%. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf has been breaking up since 2002.

Part of the Arctic ice melts away, naturally, every summer. But this year's is the second greatest meltdown ever.

Scientists blame the ice loss on warmer air and ocean temperatures. Burning oil and coal for energy releases gases that trap heat near the earth.

In the past, thick sea ice would slowly reform an ice shelf's missing piece in the freezing Arctic waters. "But today, a changing climate means there's no hope for regrowth," says Arctic scientist Derek Mueller.

Next: A New Clam