Thinning ice in the Arctic Ocean made this year¡¯s navigation season for natural gas tankers the longest on record, the latest sign that the pace of climate change is accelerating in the Earth¡¯s northernmost latitudes.
The Northern Sea Route, stretching more than 3,000 nautical miles between the Barents Sea west of Russia and the Bering Strait in the country¡¯s east, traditionally opens from June through October, when higher temperatures break up ice. This year, voyages started a month early and will continue until at least the end of December. Record warmth meant slower freezing during the autumn.
¡°This year could potentially become a turning point for the Arctic,¡± said Samantha Burgess, deputy director at Europe¡¯s Copernicus Climate Change Service. ¡°This was a fairly exceptional year in that the warmer-than-average condition was incredibly persistent throughout the whole year.¡±
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