(CNN) Remember when sea ice in Antarctica was increasing? Not any more.

After decades of gradual increases, Antarctic sea ice is now decreasing faster than that in the Arctic , according to new research based on 40 years' worth of satellite data.

Sea ice has a crucial impact on the Earth's climate, says Claire Parkinson, a senior scientist at NASA and the author of the new study published in the PNAS scientific journal on Monday.

Its bright surface reflects 50% to 70% of sunlight back into space. But when sea ice melts, it turns into dark ocean surface, which absorbs 90% of the sunlight. The more light is absorbed, the warmer global systems become.

"Sea ice also affects the polar ecosystem, including penguins and whales and seals, petrels and albatrosses, krill, and a whole range of additional animals and marine plant life," Parkinson told CNN.

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