It takes the phrase 鈥渙n thin ice鈥� to a whole new level. Russia is evacuating a research station on an ice floe in the Arctic because the ice is breaking up beneath its feet. It鈥檚 another indicator of the .
On 24 May, that it was evacuating the drifting station North Pole-40 because the ice floe it was resting on had split. The station was set up in October 2012 and was supposed to stay in place until September this year.
Up until the 1980s, , but since 2003 most new stations have only lasted a year.
Advertisement
鈥淩ussian high-latitude ocean measurements are fundamental to our knowledge of the Arctic Ocean,鈥� says of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK. Arctic researchers have been struggling to adjust to the retreating sea ice for several years, he says. Last year saw a record minimum for Arctic sea ice.
