After the last post raised my awareness and a little web research, it appears the Arctic sea ice melt this year is quite the controversial subject. The audio/visual presentation above is by the United Nations Environment Program.
First, apparently the opening of the Northwest Passage isn't such a big deal after all. It has happened in past history, though not the recent past. But the melting of the western sea ice leaving a clear Arctic sea to complete the passage is a unique occurrence.
Second, to say the extreme melting this year is caused by global warming (not mentioned in the last post or visualization) is incorrect. Influenced by the warming trend, yes, but other factors are also at work this year. Apparently an unusual wind pattern this past spring blew Arctic ice eastward, thus helping open up the western Arctic Sea.
However, the observations and data clearly reveal a pattern of melting and at a rate that is increasing in the past few years.
Those are the observations. Cause and Effect? That is the debate. If it is a scientific debate, the discussion will remain focused on the empirical observations.
Below are more observations: an image from the Earth Observatory
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