Scientists from the World Wildlife Fund, who are recording the ice cover over the North Pole, said less ice is predicted in the Arctic this year than in any other.

Experts say this not only means a loss of habitat to species like polar bears and loss of livelihood for indigenous peoples but could speed up global warming as water absorbs heat rather than reflecting the sun’s rays back into space.

Dr Martin Sommerkorn, senior climate change advisor at WWF International’s Arctic Programme, said: “We are expecting confirmation of 2008 being either the lowest or the second-lowest year in terms of summer ice coverage.

“The trend of melting Arctic sea ice is alarming for the rest of the world. The Arctic is a key factor in stabilising the global climate so this is a global problem that demands an immediate and global response.”

The area of ice that is at least five years old has dramatically fallen by more than half since 1985. It comes as the Northwest Passage, over the top of North America and the Northeast Passage, in Russia, are both free of ice for the first time.

Dr Sommerkorn added: “Arctic ice is like a mirror, reflecting the sun’s heat back into space.”

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