Arctic Sea Route Opens as Ice Melts - Space Agency
Date: 17-Sep-07
Country: UK
Sea ice has shrunk in the Arctic to its lowest level since
satellite measurements began 30 years ago, ESA said, showing
images of the now "fully navigable" route between the Atlantic
and the Pacific.
A shipping route through the Northwest Passage in the
Canadian Arctic has been touted as a possible cheaper option to
the Panama Canal for many shippers.
"We have seen the ice-covered area drop to just around 3
million square km," said Leif Toudal Pedersen of the Danish
National Space Centre, describing the drop in the Arctic sea ice
as "extreme".
The figure was about 1 million sq km less than previous lows
in 2005 and 2006, Pedersen added.
The Northeast Passage through the Russian Arctic remained
partially blocked, but in the light of the latest developments
it may well open sooner than expected, Pedersen said.
Polar regions are very sensitive to climate change, ESA
said, noting that some scientists have predicted the Arctic
would be ice free as early as 2040.
Almost all experts say global warming, stoked by human use
of fossil fuels, is happening about twice as fast in the Arctic
as elsewhere on the planet. Once exposed, dark ground or sea
soak up far more heat than ice and snow.
September and March generally mark the annual minimum and
maximum extent respectively of Arctic sea ice.
The ESA announcement on its Web site came amid a scramble
for sovereignty rights in the Arctic.
Russia, which recently planted its national flag on the
seabed beneath the ice of the North Pole, has been staking its
claim to a large chunk of the resource-rich Arctic region.
Countries such as Russia are hoping for new shipping routes
or to find oil and gas.
Canada has also been pressing its Arctic sovereignty claim
and has announced plans for a deep-water port at Nanisivik near
the eastern entrance of the Northwest Passage, which will allow
it to refuel its military patrol ships.