The beach like boundary with open water at 89° north shows the thinness of the ice. Polar sea ice melt ponds are common in July but open water is not. Source: NOAA PMEL
This photograph from the north pole webcam shows a very large melt pond in the foreground caused by high pressure, warm winds and episodes of bright sunshine. Open water, an uncommon feature in north pole webcam pictures, has opened up over the past week in In the middle distance. In the distance topography is provided by an ice ridge that has been present since the webcam was installed.
Warm June weather in the Arctic has triggered rapid sea ice melting of already thin ice, leading to a record low volume anomaly at the end of June. Source:
