Northwest Passage news stories on Newser

1848 Wreck Found in Arctic

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:40:00 CDT

The incredibly well-preserved wreck of a British expedition ship abandoned in 1848 has been found in the Canadian Arctic. The Investigator , which was on a mission to search for the lost Franklin expedition, is believed to have been the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage. Its crew abandoned it...

10 Places Already Feeling Global Warming's Heat

Kristina Loew — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:54:43 CST

While some consider global warming a cautionary tale of things to come, its effects are already being felt all over the world, reports Scientific American. The worst-hit: Darfur: The deserts have been crippled by a decades-long drought, and can no longer support farmers or their grazing herds. America's Gulf Coast:...

Arctic Ice at 2nd-Smallest Level

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:26:01 CDT

Arctic sea ice shrunk to its second-lowest size this summer, up 10% from last year's record, reports Reuters. The melting may not appear as noteworthy as that of 2007, said one research scientist, but the season's conditions prove otherwise. Last year's mix of warm air and favorable winds shifted the...

Both Arctic Passages Navigable for First Time

Nick McMaster — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:41:01 CDT

In what scientists say is an historic moment, both Northeast and Northwest Passages are navigable as of this week, and shipping firms are salivating over the possibilities, Der Spiegel reports. With an increasing number of largely ice-free days every summer, the radical shortcuts offered by the once-treacherous routes will eventually...

Sailors Find Iceless NW Passage

Caroline Zimmerman — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:40:40 CDT

It's smooth sailing in the Arctic nowadays. Even in recent years, the ice was apt to claim adventurers who dared navigate the Northwest Passage. This year the passage has no ice. And with global warming claiming some 38,000 square miles of ice a year, the Journal reports, the Arctic...