The arctic ice cap was pretty big. Those predictions are very, very close, in fact, close enough considering that the ice cap has been in place for MILLIONS of years.
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http://haveland.com/share/arctic-death-spiral.png
Your belief that the so-far unfulfilled predictions prove how wrong the scientists are and have been is exactly backwards. Their predictions show how close they are and how correct they have been for several years now. The ice could easily go this year. With a few short-term exceptions, including the annual minimum in 2016 and March of this year, the arctic ice cap is at its record lowest level for this time of year, and it has been in the same status - lowest for that time of year - for over 18 months.

Unless there is a serious, long-term reduction in global average temperatures, the ice cap is going long before 2040, and this article shows how irrelevant ADN reporting on the issue is.