Insight for Sunday 27 July 2008

Is man-made climate change causing Antarctica to warm up and melt?

The stability of the great ice cap is a crucial question with scientists estimating that if it melted completely sea levels could rise by up to 70 metres.

So what's happening on the icy continent? What does its past tell us about how it will react to warmer temperatures.

And what are the implications for sea level rise?

Sue Ingram investigates.

Picture: Heating and cooling trends over and around Antarctica. Blue indicates cooling and red warming.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Data provided by Larry Stock