Arctic melting could leave ocean ice-free in summer

THE rate of ice melting in the Arctic is leading to an ocean ice-free in summer and researchers see no natural process likely to change that trend.

These conditions haven’t been seen in a million years, but could happen within a century. Melting of glaciers could take much longer, but could raise the sea levels, potentially affecting coastal regions worldwide.

Changes to permafrost could undermine buildings, drain water into bogs and release additional carbon into the atmosphere.