Geography
The Northwest Passage consists of a series of very deep channels
that wind through Canada's Arctic Islands. The Passage is about 900
miles (1450 km) long.
Using the passage instead of the Panama Canal can cut thousands
of miles off of a sea journey between Europe and Asia.
Unfortunately, the Northwest Passage is about 500 miles (800 km)
north of the Arctic Circle and is covered by ice sheets and
icebergs most of the time.
Some speculate, however, that if global warming continues the
Northwest Passage might be a viable transportation route for ships
in the future.
Average Temperatures
The High Arctic is a polar desert, cold and and dry, one of the
harshest environments in the world.
In January and February, the average temperature is around a
numbing -29°F / -34°C.
The temperature averages below freezing year-round, with an
average annual temperature of -14°C / 7°F.
Summer highs average only -1.5°C / 29°F.
Climate change
Biologists, fishermen, climate scientists, the Inuit people, and
even international law experts, are viewing increasing Arctic
temperatures and decreasing Arctic ice with growing concern.
Satellite images confirm the Arctic ice cap is thinning
dramatically-by 30 percent over the past 25 years-and other records
show a temperature increase of 5 degrees since the
mid-1970s. And because ice reflects sunlight and heat back
into the atmosphere, scientists predict the massive loss of ice
will also accelerate global warming, causing the ice to melt even
faster.
In this image on the left you can see how the average minimum
size of the ice packs in the Arctic sea has decreased between the
1970s and 2007.
26 May 2010, 10am - Temperature in Resolute Bay
Weather report for RESOLUTE, NUNAVUT, CANADA, the first
stop for our team after setting off from Pond Inlet:
The wind was blowing at a speed of 2.1 meters per second (4.6
miles per hour) from West/Southwest in Resolute, Canada. The
temperature was -7 degrees Celsius (19 degrees
Fahrenheit). Relative humidity was 85.6%. The visibility was 24.1
kilometers (15.0 miles). Current weather is Light Snow.
