Northeast Passage expected to open in early summer this year; route along Russian coast offers a 4,000 mile shortcut between Europe and Asia

The EM-Bird over thin ice: The picture was taken with a camera mounted inside the MI-8 helicopter. It shows the EM-Bird 15 meters above a layer of rafted thin ice, approximately 10 centimeters thick. Photo: Thomas Krumpen, Alfred Wegener Institute.
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — After a series of measurement flights over the Laptev Sea, scientists with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research are predicting that the Northeast Pass, an Arctic Ocean shortcut along the north coast of Russia, will once again be ice-free and passable to ships by early summer.
The Laptev Sea is known as in ice factory, but at the end of the winter, researchers discovered large areas of thin ice that won’t survive the summer melting season.
“These results were a great surprise to us,” said expedition member Dr. Thomas Krumpen.
In previous measurements in the winter of 2007-2008 the ice in the same area had been up to one meter thicker. Krumpen said the difference is mainly due to wind. (more…)
Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Arctic Ocean, climate, European Space Agency, global warming, Laptev Sea, Northeast Passage, Northern Sea Route | Leave a Comment »


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