Arctic Poised to be Open Sea

New measurements suggest the Arctic will be largely ice-free during summer in about a decade and completely open during summer within 30 years.

The projections are more stark and sudden than other studies in recent years that have also warned of a present and continuing meltdown.

"Summer ice cover will completely vanish in 20 to 30 years but in less than that it will have considerably retreated," said Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the polar ocean physics group at Britain's Cambridge University. "In about 10 years, the Arctic ice will be considered as open sea."

Warming has led to the loss of thick sea ice cover in the Arctic, exposing more of the ocean waters to incoming sunlight. This further warms the waters, reducing the amount of ice that re-forms in the winter months, creating a cycle of increased sea ice melt.

The extent of sea ice coverage for the summer of 2009 was the third lowest on record, with 2007 and 2008 taking the first and second spots respectively, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.