An ice chunk 18 square kilometers (seven square miles) across broke off a Canadian ice shelf in the Arctic recently. The ice sheet broke away last week from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf off Ellesmere Island about 500 miles from the North Pole. The polar north is once again experiencing a rapid ice retreat this year, in addition to the 4.13 million sq km (1.59 million sq miles) of sea-ice that retreated in 2007.
Dramatic changes are occurring in the region, affecting the ice both in the open ocean and the ice, which is attached to the coast. Many scientists believe that the Artic will have ice-free summers in 2013, which is earlier than previously predicted.