By Debora Patta
Scientists haul a sample of ice from the Arctic Ocean as part of research into the effects of climate change on the sensitive region as their vessel, the RV Polarstern, waits behind them.
Johannesburg, South Africa — A massive ship called the RV Polarstern (click here) spent 389 days drifting slowly across the Arctic, trapped in ice. It was a scientific mission on an unprecedented scale, and the people who took part say their findings should serve as a warning that if action isn't taken, humans in every corner of the world will pay the price.
Just before she set sail more than a year ago, Rhode Island native Dr. Alison Fong told CBS News that she and her colleagues on the Polarstern were "looking at creating a whole picture of what the Arctic is going to do in the coming years."
The picture that emerged from their makeshift labs-on-ice and high-tech equipment is not a pretty one. It is devastating proof, the scientists say, of a dying Arctic Ocean, where ice-free summers could become a reality in just decades due to manmade greenhouse gases warming the planet....
