The New Nation - Internet Edition

There could briefly be no ice at the North Pole this summer - an event that would mark a new stage in the melting of the Arctic ice sheets due to global warming, say experts. 'The reason here is that the North Pole area right now is covered with very thin ice … that tends to melt out in the summer,' US scientist Mark Serreze was quoted to have said. If the ice, albeit briefly, were to break up completely this summer it would be the first time this had happened in human history. If it does happen in September 'it's possible' that ships could sail from Alaska right to the North Pole.

Last summer, melting ice allowed ships through the Arctic's Northern Passage linking the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans for longer than ever before. Even if there were no ice left at the North Pole, there would be ice in other parts of the Arctic Ocean this summer. But the US scientist recognised the symbolism of an ice-free North Pole saying it was yet another indication of the environmental changes taking place because of global warming. He admitted that five years ago, he would not have imagined the situation occurring now.

In mid-September last year's Arctic summer, the surface of the ice sheet was the 'the least sea ice that has ever been seen in satellite record, probably the least in a century. The sheet melted by 23 per cent, breaking the previous record from 2005. Arctic ice begins to melt in about mid-June and reaches its thinnest level around mid-September, before beginning to freeze over again and reaching maximum around mid-March. The developed nations should help reverse this abnormal trend in polar ice melting by reducing carbon emissions.