Are warming conditions in the Arctic unprecedented in Earth’s history? It turns out that they are not. The Earth’s climate has gone through warming and cooling times in the past as can be seen in the fossil record that shows tropical species in regions now too cool to support them.

These past variations were obviously not caused by the effects of man’s activities. This does not mean that the current warming trend is not caused, or affected by anthropogenic air pollution.

There is now increased evidence that the Arctic could face seasonally ice-free conditions and much warmer temperatures in the future.