Arctic Island

Satellite images obtained by NASA in late August of 2008 revealed that the Arctic icecap has become completely surrounded by water. For the first time in human history, the North Pole has become an island, as melting ice has caused it to separate from neighboring landmasses.¹

Fast Facts

1. For the first time in approximately 125,000 years, both the northwest and northeast Arctic passages are open simultaneously²
2. The opening of the Arctic passages cuts shipping routes by thousands of miles
3. Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested that all ships planning to travel through the northwest passage report to Canadian authorities²
4. Scientists have predicted that the North Pole could be free of ice during the summer months in 5 years³
5. The European Space Agency reported that the Arctic ice cap may reach a record low in September of 2008²

Quotes

"The rate of change is clearly faster than nearly all the models predict, which has huge implications for climate change and how to tackle it."—Lewis Gordon Pugh¹

"The passages are open. It is an historic event. We are going to see this more and more as the years go by."—Mark Serreze, National Snow and Ice Data Center³

Related Pages on Mahalo

Wilkins Ice Shelf | Global Warming | Climate Change | Northwest Passage Opens

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