well, that, and global warming can lead to global cooling. There have been significant chunks of ice melting and breaking off of the Artic ice pack at the North Pole and in Antarctica, but this isn't such a big deal, because it is salt water, which doesn't dilute ocean thermalclines like the Gulf Stream (although it will help global sea levels rise). What they are studying now is the melting ice sheets in places like Greenland, which are composed of freshwater ice, which if it continues to melt, could dilute the Gulfstream, interrupting the flow of cold and warm water north and south (which is what drives the climate). Screw up the flow of warm water northward via the Gulf Stream, and things will get colder in places like the Northeast and northern Europe. Guess, like everything, we'll just have to wait and see (somewhat) what really comes of the whole thing....
