Uncharacteristically clear summer skies (Yes, really; the clouds were mostly sent our way –Ed) have caused havoc in the Arctic, allowing sunlight to filter through and melt huge volumes of ice.
Scientists from Canada's Queen's University were shocked to see temperatures rise from the usual average summer temperature of 5C to an astonishing 22C on a field trip to the Arctic in July. Sea levels sank accordingly, and by September were the lowest ever on record. What makes the discovery even more shocking is that the temperature recordings were taken in one of the coldest places in the whole of North America, Melville Island.
The implications of this temperature rise were not limited to lowering sea levels, and also caused massive landslides due to the permafrost on the hillsides melting. "The landscape was being torn to pieces, literally before our eyes" said one of the scientists, Professor Lamoureux.
From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes