North Pole Ice Going, Going...

North Pole sign, originally uploaded by Andy Revkin.

There could be no ice at the North Pole this summer.

It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year.

The disappearance of the Arctic sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have melted away by the summer.

"From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water," said Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado.

It was not that long ago that scientists were predicting it would be gone by 2050. No, the deniers said. Last year the scientists said 2012 the ice could be gone. No, the deniers said. Now the scientists are saying it could all be gone this year. No, there was never ice at the North Pole.