Arctic sea ice – News Stories About Arctic sea ice - Page 3

Sep 17, 2008 2:26 PM CDT

Arctic Ice at 2nd-Smallest Level

Melting amid cool conditions raises red flags

(Newser) - Arctic sea ice shrunk to its second-lowest size this summer, up 10% from last year's record, reports Reuters. The melting may not appear as noteworthy as that of 2007, said one research scientist, but the season's conditions prove otherwise. Last year's mix of warm air and favorable winds shifted the...

Both Arctic Passages
Navigable for First Time

Aug 28, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Both Arctic Passages Navigable for First Time

Using Northeast, Northwest shortcuts will be boon to shipping firms

(Newser) - In what scientists say is an historic moment, both Northeast and Northwest Passages are navigable as of this week, and shipping firms are salivating over the possibilities, Der Spiegel reports. With an increasing number of largely ice-free days every summer, the radical shortcuts offered by the once-treacherous routes will eventually...

Polar Meltdown
Threatened
This Summer

Jun 27, 2008 6:24 AM CDT

Polar Meltdown Threatened This Summer

North Pole may be ice free for the first time in human history

(Newser) - The North Pole may become free of ice this summer for the first time in human history. Thick Arctic sea ice that normally covers the polar region has been replaced by ice that formed only in the last year and is susceptible to seasonal melting, reports the Independent. It's a...

Huge New
Cracks Seen in
Arctic Ice Shelf

May 24, 2008 6:24 AM CDT

Huge New Cracks Seen in Arctic Ice Shelf

Giant ice shelf is falling apart and could float away

(Newser) - A Canadian expedition has found a major new network of cracks, more than 10 miles long, in the Arctic's ice shelves, the BBC reports. Scientists say the huge shelves are disintegrating; pieces become "ice islands" that can float hundreds of miles away as climate changes takes hold. Arctic sea...

Alaska Suing to Bounce Bears Off Threatened List

May 22, 2008 8:51 AM CDT

Alaska Suing to Bounce Bears Off Threatened List

They're just fine, governor insists

(Newser) - The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the federal government's decision to place polar bears on the endangered species list, reports CBC News. The Department of the Interior cited the bears' diminishing sea ice habitat as a reason for listing them as threatened, but Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fears...