MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Two major Arctic Ocean shipping routes open simultaneously as ice recedes
From 3 million square miles in early 1980s the ice cap has fallen to 1.6 million sq miles in 2007 Two major Arctic Ocean shipping routes have opened simultaneously for only the second time since satellite observation began in the 1970s, researchers say.
Satellites in 2008 saw the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic and the Northern Sea Route above Russia were open simultaneously for the first time since satellite measurements started, and researchers say it has happened again, the European Space Agency reported in a release from its Paris headquarters this week.
The ESA monitors arctic ice with its Envisat, CryoSat and SMOS satellites.
Satellites have recorded reductions in the minimum ice extent at the end of summer during the last 30 years, from around 3 million square miles in the early 1980s to the historic minimum of less than 1.6 million square miles in 2007.
The early opening of both sea passages this year suggests a possible record low in ice cover.
“Whether we reach an absolute minimum or not, this year again confirms that we are in a new regime with substantially less summer ice than before,” Leif Toudal Pedersen, a senior scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said. ”The last five summers are the five minimum ice extent summers on record.
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Read all commentsThe NW passage was navigated by Amundsen in 1906, the Northern sea route has been open many times. The start of the satellite period in 1979 followed an extreme period of cold in the sixties and ice had extended much further south. It is quite natural for the cycle to have changed, but means very little in terms of long term climate. Just imagine if we had had the current scale of hysterical media reporting in the 30's when it was warmer in the Arctic than today.
Sep 01st, 2011 - 05:46 pm 0What it might do, is to re-route much of marine trade north of the continents rather than causing them to traverse the southern oceans to get back to the northern hemisphere.
Sep 04th, 2011 - 12:55 pm 0I can imagine that this would cause some decline in southern hemisphere economies.
B.A. Montivideo, Santos, Cape Town, . . .
Nothing but supposition, but just a thought.
Yes, the passage was navigated in 1906, and many times since then. However, there is a slight difference between (1) hardy explorers picking their way across ice-strewn seas in shallow-draft boats, and (2) pampered tourists aboard deep-draft cruise liners with barely an iceberg in sight. It will be “interesting times” if this persists.
Sep 05th, 2011 - 11:51 pm 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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