The North Pole is rapidly changing from an icy region to a gigantic pool, due to the rapid effects of global warming. Scientists warn that by the end of the year, the region could be free of ice.

The devastating effects of global warming on our planet have already started to appear, and in just a few years, some dramatic changes are about to take place, scientists warned. The danger is closer than thought possible, as the North Pole might melt right under our eyes this year.

It does sound a bit pessimistic, however, scientists find it hard to make an accurate prediction whether this indeed will happen or not. The main point here is that the risk seems greater than ever before, and soon we might be looking at a huge pool at the North Pole.

We've all seen the reports on the rapid ice melting in the Arctic region of the planet. As David Barber of the University of Manitoba told National Geographic, this year and for the first time in history, we might be looking at a North Pole without ice.

NASA's satellite images have clearly captured a trend in the ice that is a clear result of climate change. The worst part is that we're the ones producing it, and we're the ones taking our time (or perhaps it's too late already) in reversing a process that will change the way we live in the next couple of decades.

The North Pole is among the regions that are likely to be greatly affected by climate change, and with temperatures that increase three times faster than on the rest of the globe (due to the fact that water absorbs the sun's energy), the events in the Arctic region could turn dramatic.

Last year alone, the most dramatic loss of ice ever recorded shocked scientists and triggered alarm signals on the rapid decrease in ice. This is the reason why scientists also warned that a complete loss of the sea ice could happen this year, if things continue to evolve at this pace.

The changes wouldn't just affect the animals living in the region, which are already considered to be among the most endangered species in the world at the moment, but also people living on coast lines (a melt of the Arctic ice also means an increase in the sea levels).