If enough ice
is L O S T,
polar bears will
become
EXTINCT.
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Characterized by frigid temperatures and a nearly year-round cover of ice and snow, Arctic ecosystems are slowly being destroyed as the planet warms under an increasingly dense blanket of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing over the past 100 years, and the fragile web of life is being altered as a result. For the Arctic, the potential for change is truly startling. Should greenhouse warming be allowed to continue unabated, in a short time we may witness the total destruction of an entire ecosystem. Scientists suggest that in the next 50-100 years, mainland areas of tundra will largely disappear, causing devastating effects on a host of uniquely adapted plants and animals.
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