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Major news today coming from the Arctic passage.

This summer’s record breaking ice melt has unlocked the northwest passage more completely than ever before.

Senior Scientist Mark Serezze at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center calls the situation unprecedented. And although the shipping route has periodically opened up since 1988, the passage is almost completely clear – the first time such an expanse has been seen since route monitoring began in 1972.

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Canadian researchers are concerned about artic ponds that are quickly evaporating and global warming is said to be the cause. These ponds, that date back thousands of years, are shrinking and even drying up at an accelerated rate which will have highly detrimental effects on the surrounding ecosystem. Larvae, which feed on the ponds, provide nutrients for animals in the area as well as mammals that rely on the pond for drinking water.