A Northwest passage through the artic, running from the Atlantic along the North American north-coast to the pacific, has long been sought as a quick traderoute between Europe and Asia. Historically the route has always been impassable, but satellite images taken by the European Space Agency show that with the Arctic icecap at a record low a fully navigable route now exists.

The Northeast passage, a similar route along the Russian arctic coast, remains closed for now, but experts say it may be open much sooner than expected. In fact the ESA says that the Arctic ice may be gone altogether by 2040.

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