This Envisat image from 24 August shows a small portion of the Northwest Passage that is now ice free. Located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Northwest Passage can be a shipping short cut between Europe and Asia.
<div class="fn value">
Envisat satellite</div>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2011/08/Ice-free_Northwest_Passage">http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2011/08/Ice-free_Northwest_Passage</a>