The North Pole could be ice-free in just five years

Last week the ice at the North Pole melted at an "unprecedented rate." And that has some scientists worrying that the Arctic could become ice-free during the summers as early as 2013, the Guardian reports.

The storms over the Alaska's Beaufort Sea last week brought with them not just bad weather but also streams of hot air into the Arctic. Satellite images that were taken shortly after could show that the ice caps had started to "disintegrate dramatically." And because of that the scientists believes that the melting could exceed last year's record loss of ice.

These huge losses of Arctic sea ice will result in "major meteorological, environmental and ecological" consequences, such as: More and heavier storms being swept into Britain, polar bears and seals losing their habitats, rising sea levels and a further increased in global temperatures.