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Introduction
The New York Times summarizes the results of some research letters in this week's Nature (subscription required). (Nature also posted a background report on Arctic ecology.) Those studies suggest the Arctic got a lot warmer than anybody had thought until now. Of course, special circumstances may have been involved in this exceptional warming, as the Arctic Ocean was closed off for a time and became a giant fresh water lake. The ecology study suggests that short-term, sudden warming kills off the tundra's underlying lichens, leaving nothing for reindeer to eat. Thus, climate change has vast, far reaching effects quicker than previously thought. And, changes at the poles may be greater than anyone thought.

Introduction

The New York Times summarizes the results of some research letters in this week's Nature (subscription required). (Nature also posted a background report on Arctic ecology.) Those studies suggest the Arctic got a lot warmer than anybody had thought until now. Of course, special circumstances may have been involved in this exceptional warming, as the Arctic Ocean was closed off for a time and became a giant fresh water lake. The ecology study suggests that short-term, sudden warming kills off the tundra's underlying lichens, leaving nothing for reindeer to eat.

Thus, climate change has vast, far reaching effects quicker than previously thought. And, changes at the poles may be greater than anyone thought.

Polar Warming