Climate Change Toggle share menu Advertisement Arctic sea ice thinning faster than expected, new study shows Retreat of Arctic ice is fuelling geopolitical tensions as countries eye the polar north's untapped resources AFP/Micheal H. LEE 04 Jun 2021 07:42AM Share this content Bookmark LONDON: Sea ice in the Arctic's coastal regions may be thinning up to twice as fast as previously thought, according to a new study, with worrying implications for climate change. The analysis, led by researchers at Britain's University College London (UCL), concluded the ice in the coastal regions was thinning at a rate 70 to 100 per cent faster than the established consensus.