Scientists have announced the Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at record lows. The Guardian newspaper reports experts are stunned by the loss of ice. An area almost twice as big as England disappeared in the last week alone. If the increased rate of melting continues, the summertime Arctic could be totally free of ice by 2030. So much ice has melted this summer that the Northwest Passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and observers say the Northeast Passage along Russia’s Arctic coast could open later this month.