The North Pole could be totally free of ice this summer if the dire predictions of a climate change scientist come to fruition.
Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado told The independent that it could be possible to sail a boat to the north pole for the first time in recorded human history.
"From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water," he told The Independent.
Arctic nations, particularly Russia and Canada, have been scrambling to stake their claim of the region lately.
Russia in August last year symbolically planted its flag on the arctic’s ocean floor, while Canada is widely understood to be building up its military presence in the area.
At stake are the rights to valuable shipping lanes which could be opened up, slashing transit times from Asia to Europe, and vast untapped mineral and petroleum reserves.
Polar scientists have given a 50:50 chance of a totally ice-free North Pole this summer, because the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away, The Independent said.