LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A new study out today is casting doubt on the widely accepted theory of global warming. The report is based on findings from Antarctica. And CNN environment correspondent Natalie Pawelski explains, it's sure to cause controversy within the science communities.</s>NATALIE PAWELSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've heard the warnings: Antarctica's vast ice sheets shrinking, giant ice shelves collapsing into the ocean, sea levels rising with the inflow of ice and water. A grim scenario for researchers who figured global warming would strike the frozen continent especially hard. But a new study finds that at least part of Antarctica's ice is actually getting thicker.</s>IAN JOUGHLIN, NASA JET PROPULSION LABS: We found that a part of the west Antarctic ice sheet is actually thickening, rather than thinning, as previously believed.</s>PAWELSKI: This follows on the heels of another study where scientists took the temperature of Antarctica, and contrary to earlier findings, found its climate is cooling down.</s>PETER DORAN, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO: What we found was that the temperatures in Antarctica have been decreasing over time instead of increasing over about the last 35 years.</s>PAWELSKI (on camera): Researchers have long figured the ends of the earth, the polar regions, would be the first to show serious side effects from global warming. So, do this week's findings of colder temperatures and thicker ice on Antarctica mean earth is not heating up after all? Well the scientists say it's not that simple.</s>DORAN: It would be overreacting to say that global warming is not happening because of this.</s>JOUGHLIN: I think my findings are almost completely independent of global warming theory.</s>PAWELSKI (voice-over): What their findings do suggest is the limits of scientific understanding, whether you are talking about a continent that contains 90 percent of the world's ice, or a planet that seems to be warming. Natalie Pawelski, CNN.
New Study Casts Doubt on Global Warming