Arctic battle deepens

Researchers were hoping the dramatic melting of Arctic ice recorded last year may have been exceptional, but the latest evidence suggests that this year's summer melting has been equally dramatic, with some scientists now predicting that the Arctic may be ice-free in the summer in as little as five year's time. While there has been much hand-wringing about the ecological consequences of such developments — and the plight of the polar bear under such changes has been paramount — new access to Arctic waters has sparked a vigorous 'gold rush' to assess the potential economic opportunities in these new circumstances. More than one million square kilometres of ice melted last summer but surveys suggest this volume will be increased this year. " It is a neck-and-neck race between 2007 and this year over the issue of ice loss, " says Mark Serrazze, of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder. " We thought Arctic ice cover might recover after last year's unprecedented melting, " he says. In July, researchers thought the situation didn't look too bad when ice cover was below normal, but higher than last year. " But the Beaufort Sea storms triggered steep News focus ice losses and it now looks as if it will be a very close call whether 2007 or 2008 is the worst year on record for ice cover over the Arctic. " This loss of Arctic sea ice has raised the possibility of a new sea route through the NorthWest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, raising major concerns alongside commercial opportunities. There is growing awareness of the environmental, ecological and meteorological consequences of these changes. The region acts like a giant cooler during the northern summer with a major influence on weather patterns. And the effects of the loss of sea ice on animals such as polar bears have been highlighted and indeed used in the US to present a case to the courts to address the country's greenhouse gas emissions, seen as playing a key role Researchers worry about the long-term ecological effects of melting Arctic ice but that hasn't stopped prospectors seeking to exploit the opening waters. Portent: Icebergs drifting south along the Canadian Atlantic coast belie the major summer melting taking place in the Arctic.