I have what may be a dumb question. I generally think I'm a fairly intelligent person, but there's a basic premise of this whole debate that escapes me for some reason. I need someone to dumb this down for me since I haven't been able to find a simple explanation (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place). Here goes...
I hear the phrase "the ice caps are melting" quite often, and it's usually in a way suggesting it's a negative connotation. However, I assume that the ice caps are supposed to melt every year when temperatures rise for the summer? I assume that what is meant is that the ice caps are melting more than they're "supposed" to.
Further to that, why in winter when the temperature drops does it matter if the temperature is -40 or a global warming induced -39.75 degrees? At the temperatures I've always been led to believe exist at the caps, wouldn't everything that melted just freeze again anyway?
I just can't see how, that at these temperature extremes, a fraction of a degree makes it so that water doesn't freeze? I just can't help but think something else is warming the water. Please somebody enlighten me, because I feel dumb for even asking.
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