Thursday September 21, 2006

Scientists shocked as Arctic polar route emerges

peakoil.com -> news.yahoo.com :

European scientists voiced shock as they showed pictures which showed Arctic ice cover had disappeared so much last month that a ship could sail unhindered from Europe's most northerly outpost to the North Pole itself. Perennial sea ice - thick ice that is normally present year-round and is not affected by the Arctic summer - had disappeared over an area bigger than the British Isles, ESA said.

The shrinkage of the Arctic icecap is viewed with alarm by scientists, as it appears to perturb important ocean currents elsewhere, notably the Gulf Stream, which gives western Europe its balmy climate. It also threaten animals such as polar bears and seals that depend on ice. There are geopolitical implications, too, as Canada, Russia and the United States jockey to claim rights over transpolar passages that open up within their newly ice-free waters.

See also :

1. Polar bears drown, islands appear in Arctic thaw
2. Scramble to unlock Arctic's energy potential
3. Arctic meltdown = oil, shipping & fish

(2006-09-21 12:44:47 SGT) [Env] Permalink

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