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Article: On thin ice: global warming spells big trouble at the top of the world.
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- December 17, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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REYKJAVIK, Iceland--Roaming the ice with their snow-colored fur, polar bears are the kings of cool. They like to chill out on giant ice floes, take icy dips in the frigid seas, and snack on seals and any other creature that fits their fancy. At the top of the Arctic food chain, polar bears are 1,000-pound beasts nobody messes with. But there's danger underfoot for the white wonders. A new report by an international team of 300 scientists warns that the polar bear's icy habitat is melting away--fast.
Presented recently in Iceland's capital, the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) report states that rising temperatures are melting the polar ice cap at an ...