Increased evaporation from the exposed sea should also mean more snowfall to compensate for the ice cap's losses (though together with rapid erosion at the margins this could increase the gradient of the ice cap, making it less stable.) But this is small consolation for another big fear: rapid thawing of the Arctic permafrost.

ECONOMIST: The science

Some fear that such a rapid expansion of the monetary base will stoke inflation, which is still above 5% in America and Britain and 3.6% in the euro area.

ECONOMIST: Policy in a recession

The inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics - and an over-reliance on the drugs - has led to a rapid increase in resistant bugs and medical experts fear effective antibiotics might soon run out completely.

BBC: Antibiotics search to focus on sea bed

In some countries with big deficits, the fear of a bond-market rout is forcing rapid action.

ECONOMIST: World economy

Rangers fear that Jelavic, who has already played for Rapid in European competition this season, will be ineligible to play for the Glasgow club in the Champions League if his former employers progress to the group stages of the Europa League.

BBC: Rangers sign Rapid Vienna's Nikica Jelavic for ?4m

Google didn't have much to fear and saw Android climb to 52.6 percent, even if its ascent wasn't as rapid as that of its Bay Area neighbor.

ENGADGET: ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent