Exclusive: No ice at the North PoleFrom a June 20 National
Geographic article: Polar scientists reveal dramatic new
evidence of climate change By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Friday, 27 June 2008 It seems unthinkable, but for the first
time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely
from the North Pole this year. The disappearance of the Arctic
sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat
through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and
worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the
planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have
melted away by the summer. "From the viewpoint of science, the
North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically
it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North
Pole, not open water," said Mark Serreze of the US National Snow
and Ice Data Centre in Colorado. Arctic warming has become so
dramatic that the North Pole may melt this summer, report
scientists studying the effects of cli