A piece of Antarctica the size of Connecticut, also known as the Wilkins ice shelf, received attention around the world when it broke off from the continent in March. But, officials from the University and the National Snow and Ice Data Center have said it is actually ice in the Arctic that may be most affected by climate change.

The summer of 2007 saw the lowest amount of ice coverage in the Arctic throughout recorded history, said William Chapman, a senior research programmer in the University’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

While the low amount of ice does have something to do with climate change, Chapman said, there was also a variety of other factors that came together at one time last summer. Clear skies and favorable winds also could have led to the great amount of ice melting, he added.

“We will be watching this summer very closely,” Chapman said. “We are hoping the ice in the Arctic will rebound this summer and not be as severe of a loss as last summer.”

Some problems associated with melting ice in the Arctic include rising sea levels, warming of the oceans and possible effects on low-lying costal regions around the world, he said.

Research has not yet determined that climate change is the sole cause of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic diminishing, but scientists do believe it to be one of many factors.

As Arctic ice retreats during the summer and rebounds during winter months, it eventually becomes much thinner, which can make it more vulnerable over time, said John Walsh, professor of atmospheric sciences.

Walsh said the Antarctic has been heavily publicized recently because large chunks of ice have broken off, which has put a lot of water into the ocean.

“This is really the wild card in climate change,” Walsh said as he explained that the research surrounding sea ice is still not complete.

With so many variables to study in the climate change equation, Walsh said he does not want to jump to conclusions or assume to know when and if large ice structures like Greenland and Antarctica will melt.

“Before we write off polar bears, let’s see what else happens this summer,” Walsh said. “It would be prudent to think more than 100 years ahead. Global warming will take its effects, it just may not be during this century.”

However, if the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, that would be enough to raise sea level 20 feet, putting major areas like Tampa, Fla., and New York City under water, he added.

Although these realities may be far into the future, the devastation in life, property and money that this could bring is the reason many officials stress further research and action be taken immediately.

The uncertainty surrounding sea ice makes it difficult for scientists to make predictions about even the very near future.

“We understand ice the least,” said Michael Schlesinger, professor of atmospheric sciences and member of the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group. “We don’t know if there are tipping points, and if there are, we don’t know how close we are to them. The only way to know for certain is when we cross them, but by then it will be too late.”

The technology available for climate mapping and predictions is advanced, yet it is not advanced enough to perfectly predict the future of the global climate issue, Schlesinger said.

“This is a difficult game we are involved in,” he added. “And the stakes are higher than we yet know.”

Aside from reduced ice in the Arctic, the Antarctic is beginning to show signs of warming, officials said.

In late March a large part of the Wilkins ice shelf broke away in a short period of time and shattered into many little pieces, said Walt Meier, research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The piece of ice that broke up was approximately the size of Manhattan, Meier added. The glacial ice of the Antarctic is thick but brittle and can be weakened when warm temperatures melt water and begin to create cracks, he said.

“Wilkins is not proof of climate change, but if you look at it in the context of other events and add it all up, it is definitely an indicator that something is going on,” Meier said.

The disappearing ice in the Arctic and breakup of ice shelves in the Antarctic is consistent with many scientists’ findings that it is the polar ice caps that will feel global warming the most.

“It is being felt first and foremost in the polar regions, but it is coming to the rest of the globe,” Meier said. “We will start seeing the changes and noticing them more and more in coming years. We need to address these issues and address them quickly.”