Northwest Passsage and Northern Sea Route Closed

Arctic Ice Extent

The National Ice Center has declared the closing of the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route on October 14, 2010. These sea channels are not normally open every year, and it is significant that both were navigable at the same time in 2010. Both the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the Northern Sea Route along the Russian Arctic coast, are important to commercial interests as they provide a shorter shipping route. During the summer of 2010, commercial vessels were able to traverse the Northern Sea Route without assistance, and cruise ships sailed the Northwest Passage.

Regional warming conditions during recent years have caused sea ice to melt. The National Ice Center has concluded that the 2010 sea ice minimum was the third lowest on record. Years 2007 and 2008 were the first and second respectively.

The National Ice Center (NIC) is operated by staff from NOAA, the U. S. Navy, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Center's mission is to provide the highest quality snow and ice information to meet the United States interests across the global area of responsibility. The National Ice Center is located in the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, MD.