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The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change experts has warned.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov said there is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region than the rest of the planet.

This means that there will only be open water in the polar region by the 2050s, with nothing more than a few floating icebergs at the North Pole, according to the Russian academic.

Alarming: The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change experts has warned. This map shows rates of erosion on the Arctic coast, with the fastest rates marked in red

Professor Anisimov, from the State Hydrological Institute in St Petersburg, gave his stark warning during a lecture in the Sakha Republic - the coldest part of Russia.

He forecasts that the region will see temperature rises of up to 7°C within a century.

'For several reasons, the Arctic climate change is more intense and faster than in other regions. There is a reduction in snow and ice cover, which has a protective function,' he said.

'On average over the last year, the minimum area of sea ice has decreased from 5.4 to 5.3 million square kilometres [two million square miles]. Over the past 10 years, the reduction of sea ice in the Arctic was by 13.7 per cent.

Shocking pictures from Siberia (one is pictured) show the collapse of buildings due to melting permafrost. According to environmentalists, as the snow and ice melts, the ability of the Arctic region to reflect heat back into space is reduced and the rate of global warming is accelerated once more

Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov (pictured) said there is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region than the rest of the planet

'By the middle of the century it may be that the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice free.'

Environmentalists and climate change scientists have long known about the potential disaster in the Arctic as a result of rising global temperatures. 

The Yakutia region is experiencing climate change at a rapid rate and a 1884 map (pictured) shows Arctic islands that have already vanished

The sea ice is already at the lowest ever level recorded, with the WWF warning that a rise of just 2°C would be enough to melt the remaining floes.

As well as rising sea waters, climate change could threaten delicate ecosystems and marine life.

According to environmentalists, as the snow and ice melts, the ability of the Arctic region to reflect heat back into space is reduced and the rate of global warming is accelerated once more.

This could spark increasing numbers of forest fires and unpredictable storms and, at worst, bring a halt to the Gulf Stream which warms Europe.

The Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, is experiencing climate change at a quicker rate than other parts of the world, The Siberian Times reported.

A map of the region from 1884 is already radically different to today's, with Arctic islands having vanished under rising sea waters.

Professor Anisimov predicts overall increases of about 7°C by next century in Russia's frozen north.

Shocking pictures from Siberia highlighted by the academic show the collapse of buildings due to melting permafrost.

In 2007, as part of an Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for research on the impact of global warming, and is considered one of the world's most eminent experts on the subject.

He said: 'If the global temperature got warmer by 0.85°C in 100 years, in Yakutia the winter temperature will have increased by 3.5°C.

Professor Anisimov said: 'If the global temperature got warmer by 0.85°C in 100 years, in Yakutia the winter temperature will have increased by 3.5°C.' This picture shows s house destroyed by melting ice on Yenisey - the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean

As well as erosion (areas of which are marked on this map), climate change has been blamed for the series of unexplained craters appearing throughout Russia

'That is, global warming here is four times faster. According to our forecasts, the temperature in the north will increase by six to seven degrees by the 2100s.'

Other scientists have already speculated that global warming could be partly responsible for the series of unexplained craters appearing throughout Russia.

They believe warming air is melting thick permafrost, leading to the accumulation and release of volatile 'fire ice' gases which then explode to create the giant craters.

Almost two thirds of the Russian land mass lies within a permafrost zone and there are concerns that any melting of this could cause potential problems for infrastructure, such as buildings in cities and pipelines.

'Projected changes in the permafrost seriously threaten the Russian economy, primarily due to the increased risk of damage to the infrastructure of the Far North,' Professor Anisimov said.

The US-based Natural Resources Defence Council said it is vital to pay attention to environmental changes at the top of the world.

'The Arctic is global warming's canary in the coal mine.

Most scientists view what is happening now in the Arctic as a harbinger of things to come,' the council said.

...GLOBAL WARMING MAY BE THE CAUSE OF ENORMOUS HOLES IN RUSSIA

Four new mysterious giant craters have appeared in the Siberian permafrost in northern Russia, sparking fears that global warming may be causing gas to erupt from underground.

Scientists spotted the new holes, along with dozens of other smaller ones, in the same area as three other enormous craters that were spotted on the Yamal Peninsula last year.

The craters are thought to be caused by eruptions of methane gas from the permafrost as rising rising temperatures causes the frozen soil to melt.

It has sparked fears that the craters could become more common as climate change continues to warm and led to warnings that the area is facing a looming natural disaster.

Unexplained: The first of the new craters discovered, named B1 (pictured above), shows signs of an huge eruption of gas. Four new mysterious giant craters have appeared in the Siberian permafrost in northern Russia, sparking fears that global warming may be causing gas to erupt from underground

One of new craters, surrounded by at least 20 smaller holes, is just six miles from a major gas production plant.

Experts have predicted there could be up to 30 more are waiting to be discovered.

Scientists, however, are still largely baffled by the exact processes causing the craters.

Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky, deputy director of the Moscow-based Oil and Gas Research Institute, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has called for 'urgent' investigation of the new phenomenon amid safety fears.

Until now, the existence of only three Siberian craters had been established when great caverns in the frozen landscape were spotted by passing helicopter pilots.

'We know now of seven craters in the Arctic area,' Professor Bogoyavlensky told The Siberian Times.

'Five are directly on the Yamal peninsula, one in Yamal Autonomous district, and one is on the north of the Krasnoyarsk region, near the Taimyr peninsula.

'We have exact locations for only four of them. The other three were spotted by reindeer herders.

'But I am sure that there are more craters on Yamal, we just need to search for them. I would compare this with mushrooms.

'When you find one mushroom, be sure there are few more around. I suppose there could be 20 to 30 craters more.'

Two of the newly-discovered large craters - also known as funnels to scientists - have turned into lakes, revealed Professor Bogoyavlensky.

'It is important not to scare people, but this is a very serious problem. We must research this phenomenon urgently to prevent possible disasters.

'We cannot rule out new gas emissions in the Arctic and in some cases they can ignite.'