The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, causing an increase in rainfall and a decrease in snowfall. The snow normally protects the underlying ice from melting, but summer snowfalls of the last 20 years have decreased by 40%.

“Snow is highly reflective and bounces up to 85%of the incoming sunlight back into space,” said researchers. “Snow on top of ice effectively acts as a sunscreen protecting the ice from the power of the sun rays.”

“As the snow cover has decreased, more sea ice has become exposed to the sunlight, increasing the melting of the ice.”