The Arctic is especially vulnerable to the effects of global warming as has become apparent in the melting sea ice in recent years. Climate models predict much greater warming in the Arctic than global average.This fact has garnered significant international attention to the region. In particular, there are concerns that Arctic shrinkage, a consequence of melting glaciers and other ice in Greenland, could soon contribute to a substantial rise in sea levels worldwide.A recent study by a research group at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California working with members of Nasa and the Institute of Oceanology at the Polish Academy of Sciences estimate that the Arctic sea could be ice-free in the summer as soon as 2013. The Arctic sea ice melted at an unprecedented rate, well ahead of models, in 2007. See also: Polar ice packs.

Apart from concerns regarding the detrimental effects of cooling in the Arctic, some potential opportunities have gained attention as well. The melting of the ice is making the so-called northwest passage, the shipping routes through the northern-most latitudes, more navigable, raising the possibility that the Arctic region will become a prime trade route. In addition it is believed that the Arctic seabed may contain substantial oil fields which may become accessible if the ice covering them melts.These factors have led to recent international debates as to which nations can claim sovereignty or ownership over the waters of the Arctic. but according to the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat the arctic polar ice cap would be completely gone by summer 2008