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The Arctic Ocean is the mass of water positioned approximately above latitude 65° N. Arctic Sea Ice refers to the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice. The Arctic sea ice minimum is the day in a given year when Arctic sea ice reaches its smallest extent, occurring at the end of the summer melting season, normally during September.
The increasingly concerning consequences of climate change in the Arctic, resulting in melting Arctic sea ice, have become ground for enhanced attention and cooperation in the region. Fear of economic exploitation and pollution in the Arctic Ocean was a key source of momentum in drafting and implementing the Ilulissat Declaration. [ 3 ]
The Arctic Ocean is expected to see its first ice-free events in the near future - most likely before 2050, and potentially in the late 2020s or early 2030s. [10] This would have no precedent in the last 700,000 years.
The Arctic Ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere appears to be waning due to melting permafrost and worsening coastal erosion.
The first ice-free days of the Arctic Ocean could occur as soon as the 2020s or 2030s — as many as 10 years earlier than previous projections.
While climate change will have uncertain and disastrous effects on the Arctic, it will also free undiscovered marine resources and open up shipping routes as the region melts. "The melting of the ice in the Arctic due to global warming is expected to cause major environmental and geopolitical changes in the Arctic". [25]
Chinese Arctic experts have pointed out the limitations of Arctic sea routes, including harsh conditions, more icebergs due to melting of Greenland's icecap, higher insurance premiums, lack of infrastructure and shallow depths. [8] [15] China has remained neutral on Canada's position that the Northwest Passage is in Canada's internal waters. [8]
Arctic sea ice has been monitored by satellites since 1979, [8] and has been recorded to be melting away every decade. [9] [10] The ice sheets are becoming thinner and younger, indicating increasing fragility. [11] The major threats are emissions from greenhouse gases and fossil fuels that are primary causes of global warming.