Polar sea ice the size of India has disappeared due to rising temperatures . Greenhouse gases , the El Nino and freak natural swings are all cited as possible culprits . Global warming is now causing shrinkage at both coasts , a development that is alarming scientists , as previously ice melting off Antarctica has tended to expand instead . " Antarctica is the sleeping elephant that is beginning to stir , " warns Mark Serene of the polar National Snow and Ice Data Centre , with fears it 's melting will slide more quickly into the ocean , thereby speeding up the pace of rising sea levels .
Polar sea ice the size of India has disappeared due to rising temperatures. Greenhouse gases, the El Nino and freak natural swings are all cited as possible culprits. Global warming is now causing shrinkage at both poles, a development that is alarming scientists, as previously ice floating off Antarctica has tended to expand instead. "Antarctica is the sleeping elephant that is beginning to stir," warns Mark Serene of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, with fears it's glaciers may slide more quickly into the ocean, thereby speeding up the pace of rising sea levels.