Results:

Different models predict different spacial patterns, but all models predict continuing diminution of the ice pack. For example, in the Arctic, some models predict changes concentrated near the pole, whereas others predict changes to occur throughout the arctic or concentrated at the ice edge. In addition, the North and South poles have very different responses to global climate change. In the 21st century the Arctic is much more sensitive and has larger predicted changes than the Antarctic. Due to the large thermal inertia of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Ice sheet, the Antarctic may take several decades longer than the Arctic to respond to the same overall global forcing. This large thermal inertia and large Antarctic storms also lead to greater variability amoung models in the Antarctic compared to the Arctic. Ice in the Antarctic is thinner than in the Arctic because the southern ocean transports heat effectively under the ice. The Arctic ice pack is limited in extent by the surrounding continents, while Antarctic ice is not.

Figures: (clink to enlarge)