Dear-Editor

The Europeans are worried, maybe because they are closer to the North Pole than we are, but for the first time satellite images from the European Space Agency (ESA) show a surprise opening in the Artic ice cover that is larger than the size of the British Isles. This is unlike anything seen before. It is now very possible for a ship to pass in the summer, from Northern Siberia through what is normally pack ice to reach the North Pole without difficulty.