Read more National Snow and Ice Data Center stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/14029/national-snow-and-ice-data-center.htmlhttp://img1-cdn.newser.com/images/newser-black250x40.gifhttp://www.newser.com/2012 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 22 May 2012 15:35:32 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/31042/polar-meltdown-threatened-this-summer.htmlPeter Fearon<img src='http://img1-cdn.newser.com/getimage.aspx?mediaid=115612&width=45&height=45&crop=Y&updateddate=20110401011134' border='0' />The North Pole may become free of ice this summer for the first time in human history. Thick Arctic sea ice that normally covers the polar region has been replaced by ice that formed only in the last year and is susceptible to seasonal melting, reports the Independent. It's a...A research ship in the Arctic ocean off Barrow, Alaska. Researchers say the North Pole itself could be free of ice for the first time this summer.http://www.newser.com/story/31042/polar-meltdown-threatened-this-summer.htmlFri, 27 Jun 2008 06:24:53 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/8708/record-heatwave-hits-arctic.htmlPeter Fearon<img src='http://img1-cdn.newser.com/getimage.aspx?mediaid=32504&width=45&height=45&crop=Y&updateddate=20110401031503' border='0' />Record high temperatures have hit parts of the Arctic, triggering a dramatic melt off of sea ice and tundra, and shocking scientists, reports the Independent . Temperatures as high as 72 degrees fahrenheit (22C) on Melville Island, usually one of the coldest places in North America, melted permafrost and set off...An iceberg melts off Ammassalik Island in Eastern Greenland in this July 19, 2007 file photo. Arctic ice has shrunk to the lowest level on record, new satellite images show, raising the possibility that the Northwest Passage that eluded famous explorers will become an open shipping lane. The European Space Agency said nearly 200 satellite photos taken together in Sept. 2007 showed an ice-free passage along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland, and ice retreating to its lowest level since such images were first taken in 1978. (AP Photo/John McConnico)http://www.newser.com/story/8708/record-heatwave-hits-arctic.htmlWed, 03 Oct 2007 08:09:15 CDT