Researchers have confirmed the snow in the Arctic is thinning at an extremely rapid rate.

Scientists from NASA and the University of Washington found the 100-year-old snow cap atop the Arctic ice is rapidly melting as the continent continues to grow warmer. In a study published in the "Journal of Geophysical Research," they found the ice is thinner in western Arctic waters which are close to Alaska.

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Data was based on analysis of ice buoys and ice levels that have been tracked for the past few decades. Older information collected all the way back in 1937 regarding ice levels were compared with the newer data.

What scientists discovered was the snow level decreased from 14 inches to 9 inches in the west of the Arctic region, while to the north and west of Alaska, the snow level was reduced from 13 inches to 6 inches.

The ice near Alaska has dropped to a third, while almost half of the snow to the north and west of Alaska is gone.

In the past, scientists measured snow levels by hand using measuring sticks. They'd sit on chunks of floating ice to track the snow.

Scientists harnessed the power of new technology to track snow. They mounted cameras on a NASA aircraft that hovered above the area and used ski pole-like measuring systems.

Melinda Webster, a graduate student at the University of Washington studying oceanography and the study's lead author, said the new technology allows them to measure ice levels very quickly.

"When you stab it into the ground, the basket moves up, and it records the distance between the magnet and the end of the probe," she explained.

Researchers believe the reason for the ice thinning is that climate change has made the oceans warmer, making the ice melt. Ice only regains its footing later in the year.

Although the environmental effects are still to be seen, scientists are almost certain the North Pole's ecosystem, especially animals that build their shelters with snow, is in peril.