Canada's Mackenzie river valley is again being explored, as, more modestly, is its less promising Arctic offshore.

ECONOMIST: Resources: Hidden treasure | The

The Inuit represent less than half the Arctic's indigenous people, who in turn account for only 10% of the region's population.

ECONOMIST: One man and his dogs | The

But while enthusiastic about adventures the future may hold, Brossier is aware that others -- especially those with young children -- may find his nomadic lifestyle in the Arctic chill less than appealing.

CNN: Arctic vagabonds: French family makes home on polar yacht

And now the Arctic's upper layers are getting less dense, for several reasons: melting Arctic glaciers, rising surface-water temperatures, increased precipitation and an absence of salt concentrations resulting from sea-ice formation.

ECONOMIST: The science

Added to the general atmospheric warming in the region, the researchers also describe an amplification process whereby reduced snow cover on the surrounding tundra and less sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean push up temperatures still further.

BBC: Canadian glaciers face 'big losses'

However, although the sea ice is shrinking -- covering less total area as well as becoming thinner -- the Arctic is still a world ruled by ice, a lesson well learned when the Polar Pioneer encountered heavy pack ice between Svalbard and the eastern coast of Greenland, forcing the captain to divert the boat and drop speed to just a few knots.

BBC: Life in the fragile, frozen Arctic

These new Arctic industries will not come about overnight and may well deliver less than their cheerleaders promise.

ECONOMIST: Climate change

Increased evaporation from the exposed sea should also mean more snowfall to compensate for the ice cap's losses (though together with rapid erosion at the margins this could increase the gradient of the ice cap, making it less stable.) But this is small consolation for another big fear: rapid thawing of the Arctic permafrost.

ECONOMIST: The science