Consequently, over the last 100 years, the poles have seen an increase of 5 ° C in their average temperatures. Hence accelerated melting of the Antarctic ice sheet is one of the first symptoms of global warming. But climate cannot be separated into discrete regional units.
至於同樣是北半球，高緯度地區又更容易「發燒」，比如南、北極百年來平均已上升五度，也使南極冰山溶化成為氣候暖化併發症的序幕。