Nothing like visual aids to get the point across. NASA has recently released a video simulating the Arctic's sea ice cover - the semi-permanent frozen seawater that surrounds the region. The video will illustrate the region's perennial ice cover for the end of the summer of the year 2005, before comparing it to 2007 and 1979's perennial ice covers.

In case the video's a little hard to figure out, here's NASA's explanation on the visuals:

The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average.

As you guys may recall, the United Nations came out with its own Global Environment Outlook regarding this topic. If these apparently linked reports from the UN and NASA are accurate, we may be looking at some very grim prospects for the years to come.