"ARCTIC MELT OPENS NORTHWEST PASSAGE"

"The Arctic now has its lowest amount of sea ice (shown in green) since measurements began in 1978,as seen in the September 2007 mosaic image taken by Space Agency satelites.
The melt has completely opened the Northwest Passage(yellow line) and mostly cleared the Northeast Passage(blue line). Both represent time- and fuel-saving shortcuts between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans."
Image courtesy ESA
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/38614724.html