North Pole

Who loses big as global warming increases? A substantial majority of scientists believe that the increasing temperatures recorded in the world's oceans and the surface of Earth will likely continue. In turn, that is expected to cause biological and geological changes.

Some species will likely do well because their habitats will increase in size. Many others, however, won't be so lucky. The impact of climate change has come into focus once again with the release of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sponsored by the United Nations.

Following is an examination of some of the plants, animals, land masses and areas of human habitation that could be severely affected.

The Arctic ice sheet is getting progressively thinner and smaller in size, according to various studies. In November 2006, there were 2 million fewer square kilometers of ice than normal, which means that the summer melt is not being recovered.

By 2040, the ice sheet may no longer be a year-round phenomenon, according to Marika Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. That is, it will disappear in the summer and partially come back in the winter.

"The ice is quite stable until 2025, and then, boom, it just goes," Holland said in December during a presentation at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.