Often referred to as one of the last places in the world with year-round sea ice, these waters have historically been difficult to access because of the thickness of the ice. But melting sea ice has opened a path for a Canadian research icebreaker to sail through some of these passageways for the first time ever. (Alexandre Normandeau)Babb, who was part of the expedition, explained that there are two types of ice: seasonal ice and multi-year ice. The fact that an icebreaker is able to enter one of the world’s last refuges of sea ice is yet another startling sign of the effects of climate change. “We were finding really deteriorated and heavily melted sea ice.... Fortunately, both scientifically and personally, it was reassuring to know that we did start to find some thicker ice [further south],” he said.

Source: CBC News December 28, 2025 14:55 UTC