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by © Corbis. All Rights Reserved. - © NASA/Corbis
Lancaster Sound in Northwest Passage Between Canada and Greenland
15 Sep 2007, Northwest Territories, Canada --- Northwest Passage between Canada and Greenland captured by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on September 15, 2007. The Northwest Passage is a sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans which threads through the Arctic Ocean and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, along the northern coast of North America. There has been speculation that due to climate change, the passage may become clear enough of ice to permit safe commercial shipping for at least part of the year. According to the European Space Agency, on August 21, 2007 the Northwest Passage became open to ships without the need of an icebreaker. According to Nalan Koc of the Norwegian Polar Institute, this is the first time it has been clear since they began keeping records in 1972. --- Image by © NASA/Corbis
