So, now that I’ve taken a week off getting myself to Chicago, I can get right back into telling you semi-depressing news about the environment. I know, I know; I missed you too.

Today I get to tell you that, for the year summer in a row, it looks like excessive heat may open up the Northwest Passage in Alaska. We might like to note, too, that this second summer in a row is also only the second time in recorded history. While ice usually melts away during the summer, by the end of the summer there ought not to be an area larger than the size of Texas lacking ice. Which there is.

The science-y people at the Anchorage Daily News give us the rundown:

On July 31, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic stood at 2.98 million square miles — about 400,000 square miles less than the 1979 to 2000 average for the same date, according to data posted on the NSIDC Web site. But it was about 35,000 square miles more than the July 31 measurement during last year’s record summer…

A wild card this year is the overall thinness of the ice — even near the North Pole. In April NSIDC scientists suggested that the ice at the pole might temporarily disappear this summer for the first time on record.

The good (I guess) news is that this melt is going to be less than last year’s. One scientist tells us that, because the ice will be thicker this year than last, “So Santa Claus is safe for this year…But he better start looking for some brand new real estate.” Har Har, scientist. This is why we don’t let you guys out of labs.

Also, the article points out that kayakers should be pleased. So, um. Sweet deal? Anyhow, you can takepart and visit the National Snow and Ice Data Center’s section on Arctic Ice. Surprisingly more interesting than I just made it sound.