More confusing settled science: Global warming affects the tropics much more than the Arctic, which, in turn, is affected much more than the tropics

CBC News - Technology & Science - Tropics more affected by global warming: study

"The expectation was that physiological changes would also be greatest in the north temperate-Arctic region, but when we ran the numbers that expectation was flipped on its head," said lead author Michael Dillon, an assistant professor of zoology and physiology at the University of Wyoming, in a release.

The researchers believe that increases in temperature are raising animals' temperatures and metabolic rates, stressing their bodies by requiring them to seek more food and oxygen, rather than focusing on reproduction. Organisms in the Arctic are more adaptable to temperature fluctuations because of the seasonal changes in temperature, other research has shown.

Flashback: Arctic Is the Canary in the Coalmine

QUEBEC CITY, Canada, Dec 12, 2008 (IPS) - Nearly 1,000 scientists and representatives of indigenous peoples from 16 countries have braved a major winter storm to share their findings and concerns about the rapidly warming Arctic region at the International Arctic Change conference in Quebec City.

The Arctic is "ground zero" for climate change, with temperatures rising far faster than anywhere else on the planet. Some predict an ice-free summer Arctic in less than five to 10 years - the first time the Arctic Ocean will be exposed to the sun in many hundreds of thousands of years.