#HTE

Earliest Crossing of the Northwest Passage Ever (32 photos)

The Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica just set a new record, sailing through the Northwest Passage above North America earlier than ever before. It took 24 days at sea to travel the 6,215 mi (10,000 km) from Alaska to Greenland, arriving on July 29. Arctic sea ice has been melting sooner every year, opening the route earlier and for a longer time each summer. A team from the Associated Press accompanied a group of international researchers aboard the MSV Nordica, including photographer David Goldman, who returned with the photos below.