Rapidly melting arctic ice is often touted as the evidence of Earth’s pending ecological destruction. Global warming is responsible for the higher than normal temperatures that are driving the arctic to not only melt, but melt from underneath. While the arctic melt is frequently highlighted, the fact that Antarctica remains frozen and unchanged is often overlooked. According to Stephen Ackley, a polar scientist, "Arctic sea ice is well ahead of the models, and Antarctic sea ice is well behind what the models project." In essence, the glacier building forces of snow have continued to pound Antarctica over the past two decades, causing the continent to continue growing despite the melt on the opposite pole.