Ice caps at Earth's poles are not the norm but an anomaly: climatologists have reached an unexpected conclusion about global warming.

The Arctic will be left without ice. The white shell of Greenland is rapidly melting. Huge icebergs are breaking off from Antarctica - the icy shield is at risk.

The disappearance of ice caps at the poles of the Earth is one of the alarming aspects of global warming. However, it turns out that their existence is more of an anomaly than a norm for our planet! And the fact that the melting of ice and, consequently, the rise in sea levels seems like a problem to us humans is solely our concern. This unexpected conclusion was reached by geologists and climatologists from the University of Leeds in the UK.

They modeled the planet's climate in past eras, going back hundreds of millions of years, up to 550 million years ago. It turned out that Earth thrived perfectly well without all that ice on its poles! Moreover, the very appearance of white caps at the North and South Poles is a rare coincidence.

- We live on a planet with ice caps due to a combination of factors: currently, volcanic eruptions are extraordinarily rare, and continents with high mountain ranges are relatively evenly distributed across the globe, which promotes significant precipitation, - states researcher from the University of Leeds Andrew Meredith.

The formation of ice caps was also influenced by the development of multicellular life and its role in the carbon cycle, the changing significance of forests in absorbing greenhouse gases, continental drift, the water cycle between land and oceans, and shifts in cosmic parameters.

Nevertheless, the "greenhouse" state of the Earth, which is currently being fought against, is actually the normal condition. The "glacial" state is the rarity!

- It turns out that large ice caps are not a characteristic feature of our planet. Yes, the survival of our civilization depends on the preservation of polar caps, so we should make every effort for that. But the Earth prefers a warmer climate. The question is that this does not suit humanity, - believes one of the study's authors, professor Benjamin Mills.

Thus, it is time for people to change their perspectives on global warming:

- We cannot expect that the Earth will inevitably return to the cool climate that existed in the pre-industrial era (that is, before the mid-19th century - Ed.), before the onset of global warming, - continues Mills.