The melting of ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica are worse than previously thought, according to new satellite information.  Pictures show that some places are already in runaway melt mode. According to a paper published online Thursday in the journal Nature, in some parts of Antarctica, ice sheets have been losing 30 feet a year in thickness since 2003.

Moreover, the thickness of the ice is rapidly fading; in parts of Antarctica, the yearly rate of thinning from 2003 to 2007 is 50 percent higher than it was from 1995 to 2003.

“To some extent it’s a runaway effect. The question is how far will it run?” said Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey. “It’s more widespread than we previously thought.”