The poles of the planet are more sensitive to any change in the planet's climate than the rest of the planet. In the face of ongoing global warming, the poles are warming faster than lower latitudes. The primary cause of this phenomenon is ice-albedo feedback, whereby melting ice uncovers darker land or ocean beneath, which then absorbs more sunlight, causing more heating.[10][11][12] The loss of the Arctic sea ice may represent a tipping point in global warming, when 'runaway' climate change starts,[13][14] but on this point the science is not yet settled.[15][16]