Greenland and western Antarctica might be shrinking faster than we think, according to new satellite info courtesy of NASA. British scientists analyzing the data say that the yearly rate of ice thinning from 2003 to 2007 is 50% higher than it was from 1995 to 2003.

What does this mean? It means that the ice sheets, particularly at the edges, are being melted from below by warming water, hinting at global warming and possibly contributing to rising sea levels.

The measurements are based on 50 million laser readings from the NASA satellite, and back up claims from scientists that ice melt is speeding up.

One question the study raises is if and how much the melt will add to estimates of sea level rise that many claim is increasing due to man-made global warming.

You can stop the ice melting up in Greenland and Antarctica by taking action in your own background to decrease global warming