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Impassable Northwest Passage Open For First Time In History

Posted by Zonk on from the is-it-warm-in-here-or-is-it-just-me dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Northwest Passage, a normally ice-locked shortcut between Europe and Asia, is now passable for the first time in recorded history reports the European Space Agency. Leif Toudal Pedersen from the Danish National Space Centre said in the article: 'We have seen the ice-covered area drop to just around 3 million sq km which is about 1 million sq km less than the previous minima of 2005 and 2006. There has been a reduction of the ice cover over the last 10 years of about 100 000 sq km per year on average, so a drop of 1 million sq km in just one year is extreme.'"

10 of 528 comments (clear)

  1. Won't be long by Dachannien · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure the Northwest Passage Cruise Line vacation scam spams will begin soon.

  2. Time to buy by downix · · Score: 5, Funny

    that prime waterfront property in Kansas....

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  3. Huh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What could cause this?

    1. Re:Huh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      IRAQ!

    2. Re:Huh. by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 5, Funny

      IRAQ!
      Of course. Where else do you think Saddam Hussein hid the Weapons of Mass Destruction? He had to hide them in the artic, where we would least expect them. He was fiendishly clever, that Saddam.
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      Similar to the upcoming US election results
  4. Re:Cooler! (eh, ok, perhaps *warmer*...) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    it's a real boon to nautical industries like shipping and such. There just aren't that many ways around continents. Having an extra option is great.

     
    Plus, those big ships'll have a shorter route on which to belch their nasty so-called "greenhouse gasses" (and will, therefore, not pollute as much!); this could be the best thing to happen to the environment in 30 years!!
  5. OSS in trouble by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Where is Linux gonna get a new mascot when their home is gone?

    -1 wrong pole

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    Table-ized A.I.
  6. Re:Cooler! (eh, ok, perhaps *warmer*...) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This laptop is powered entirely by my own sense of self-satisfaction.

  7. Re:Cooler! (eh, ok, perhaps *warmer*...) by Bluesman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Congratulations on your Mac purchase :-)

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  8. Re:Cool! by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Funny
    it's a real boon to nautical industries like shipping and such.

    ...and the new midwest passage will be a real boon for shipping stuff to Minneapolis too.

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    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."