Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts

A great article from today’s New York Times:

The Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that waves briefly lapped along two long-imagined Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northern Sea Route over Russia.

Over all, the floating ice dwindled to an extent unparalleled in a century or more, by several estimates.

Now the six-month dark season has returned to the North Pole. In the deepening chill, new ice is already spreading over vast stretches of the Arctic Ocean. Astonished by the summer’s changes, scientists are studying the forces that exposed one million square miles of open water — six Californias — beyond the average since satellites started measurements in 1979.

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Interactive Graphic: Sea Ice in Retreat

 

Related NY Times Articles:

Grim Outlook for Polar Bears (October 2, 2007)

The Big Melt: A Series From The New York Times