latent heat extracted in melting ice

I have a question: How much of an effect on ocean and air temperature does the latent heat extracted by the melting of great quantities of Arctic (and Antarctic) and glacial ice have? is this enough, at present, to effect our local, and overall temperatures, a cooling effect, at least while there is ice to melt? I haven't seen any mention in the (more popular) climate change literature, and am not able to make such a calculation myself, but perhaps it is significant.

I bring it up because we have been experiencing cooler springs on coastal Maine, the last three years about (?), after some years of earlier springs, with the warming trend (I am gardener). And I recently saw a BBC report on a cooling effect going on (or less warming) in the last ten years, which climate skeptics, and a bewildered public will be leaping upon.

If the latent heat extraction of calories has indeed an effect of cooling, it won't last. Who might know?

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Amelia, the content administrator for OceanClimate. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond. I found this article on latent heat from ice melt - maybe it will help? http://www.all-creatures.org/hope/let-20090321.htm.