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Northwest Passage now open for business mongabay.com September 15, 2007
Scientists say the Northeast Passage -- north of Russia -- may soon also be navigable due to disappearing sea ice. Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is presently 20 percent below its all time lowest extent and may decline further before winter according researchers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder (NSIDC). Satellite data shows that the Arctic ice pack covers 4.24 million square kilometers (1.63 million square miles). The previous record low of 5.32 million square kilometers (2.05 million square miles) was set in September 2005.
"The strong reduction in just one year certainly raises flags that the ice (in summer) may disappear much sooner than expected and that we urgently need to understand better the processes involved." Economic interests in melting The melting has set off a scramble between Canada, Russia, the U.S., Denmark, Sweden and Norway which are all seeking to claim rights to the Arctic's rich mineral and gas deposits. The Arctic is particularly sensitive to changes in the extent of sea ice, which helps reflect sunlight back into space, cooling the region. When sea ice melts, the dark areas of open water absorb the sun's radiation, trigger a positive feedback loop that worsens melting. Scientists now say that the Arctic could lose all its summer sea ice by 2030, a development that would have implications for wildlife -- like polar bear and walrus -- that depend on pack ice for feeding.   Envisat ASAR image of the McClure Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, acquired on 31 August 2007. The McClure Strait is the most direct route of the Northwest Passage and has been fully open since early August 2007. 
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