There have definitely been some major shifts in the Earth's climate in recent years, but the jury is still out on exactly who or what is to blame.  The world's largest bodies of ice are the polar ice caps, the Greenland ice sheet, and the Himalayan Mountain glaciers. 

Antarctica has had cold temperatures and appeared to gain ice in recent years.  However, a 2009 Nature Geoscience study claims that satellite data indicates that the continent's East ice-sheet, previously thought to be growing, is actually shrinking.  

While the topic of whether Antarctica is losing or gaining ice is debatable, ice loss in the Northern Hemisphere is more clear cut.  The Asian Himalayas and European Alps have both shown shrinking ice area.  And ice cover over the North Pole, while fluctuating annually and seasonally has shown a clear decreasing trend in recent years.

However, perhaps the most pronounced and most concerning ice loss is occurring in Greenland.  According to a new study by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), there's new evidence that Greenland's melt is accelerating.

While ice area is one measurement frequently used to estimate ice loss or gain, it often falls short for failing to account for ice thickness and density.  Researchers at the University of Miami instead examined land rise, a lesser known effect of ice melt.

Greenland's 2 km thick ice cap pushes down on the land, depressing it.  As the ice has melted, the land, like a gigantic spring has slowly pushed upwards.  Currently, parts of Greenland are rising at a rate of 1 inch per year, and may reach a rate of 2 inches per year by 2025 if current acceleration continues.

Shimon Wdowinski, research associate professor in the University of Miami RSMAS comments, "It's been known for several years that climate change is contributing to the melting of Greenland's ice sheet.  Even more surprising, the rise seems to be accelerating, implying that melting is accelerating.  Accelerating uplift in the North Atlantic region as an indicator of ice loss."

Greenland's ice melt is a bigger concern than polar ice melt or gain, as sea ice changes do not have the major effect on global sea levels that land ice melt does.  There's much concern than melt from the Himalayas and Greenland may cause flooding of low lying regions if current melting rates continue.

The abstract of the study can be found here.  The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA.

The global picture of climate change is only the start of the story, though.  Wherever you stand in the climate debate, there's a need to develop a more accurate understanding of exactly what factors are dictating our shifting global climate.  In the process, we will hopefully gain an understanding of whether man can somehow impact these factors or, alternatively, adjust globally to a shifting climate.  

The simplest solution seems to be to shift to what ever regions are most arable -- much as mankind has done throughout history.  However, there's many more aspects of the problem.  Climate change and attempts to "solve" it will likely reach the scale of trillions in investment.  Thus its critical not to make the wrong move, or a hasty one.