Arctic thaw opens fabled trade route

Arctic thaw opens fabled trade route: "Science & environment: The Arctic's sea covering has shrunk so much that the Northwest Passage has opened up for the first time."

(Via Guardian Unlimited home | Guardian Unlimited.)

Arctic melt opening up Northwest Passage

Arctic melt opening up Northwest Passage: "PARIS-Arctic ice has shrunk to the lowest level on record, new satellite images show, raising the possibility that the Northwest Passage that eluded famous explorers will become an open shipping lane."

(Via Toronto Star.)

Record sea ice loss opens Northwest Passage

Record sea ice loss opens Northwest Passage: "Sea ice in the Arctic has sunk to its lowest level since satellite record-keeping began, fully opening the most direct route through the Northwest Passage."

(Via CBC | World News.)

NPR : Nations Jostle for a Share of the Arctic

NPR : Nations Jostle for a Share of the Arctic: "
 
CLIMATE CONNECTIONS
This article is just one of many articles starting to flood the international media about the Canadian Arctic. This last week in particular has seen a flood of news stories concerning the plight of the polar bear and the vastly underestimated scale of melting ice in the North. Although the polar bear may be an easily identifiable posterchild for Arctic warming, the case of Inuit lands being despoiled through international use of the Northwest Passage are just as critical. Since returning to Seattle from Nunavik I have been taking time to digest all the experiences and have begun organizing my thoughts, it took me a while to get used to things again; my memories of my Inuit family and experiences on the land are very strong and vivid in my mind. Here's another article concerning NOAA's opinion.

NOAA Affirms Sea Ice Will Shrink in Half: "Summer sea ice will probably recede 300 to 500 miles off Alaska's north coast by 2050, compared to the 1980s when ice packs were only 30 to 50 miles off the coast, and decrease to half the size. Mammals dependent on the sea ice, such as polar bears, and fishermen will suffer. Federal scientists compared computer simulations of how warming would affect sea ice with 20 years' of observations.

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(Via Wired News.)