http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

Both the Amdusen NW Passage and the Northern Sea Route (NE Passage) have opened as melt continues close to last year's astonishing record.
Parry NW passage expected to open within next 2 weeks.

Surface melt now completing but bottom melt means extent will continue to decline for 2-3 weeks.

If last year hadn't been so spectacularly bad then we would all be talking about this as the canary in the coalmine.
The canary is dead. The parrot is dead. The planet as a place fit for human habitation is dying - and we still continue to burn fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate.

The current oil price whilst causing some localised demand destruction is not affecting overall world consumption.
The current focus on 'economic' problems means that the collective human eye has come off the environmental ball just as the planet show yet more signs of coming to the boil...

...oh dear.