Arctic open to ships but also spills

摘要

The retreat of sea ice in Siberia and Eurasia in recent weeks has opened up much of the Northern Sea Route, a United States government agency revealed in early August.The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported on 3 August that the average extent of Arctic sea ice in July was at its lowest level for that month since 1979. "Shipping routes in the Arctic have less ice than usual for this time of year, and new data indicate that more of the Arctic's store of its oldest ice disappeared," the centre revealed.