What they found was that the annual ice loss by this date would be running at about 145 billion tonnes, with the north of the archipelago, on and around the likes of Ellesmere Island, experiencing the greatest retreat.

BBC: Canadian glaciers face 'big losses'

The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone.

CNN: Arctic ice to vanish in summer, report says

With 102 holes drilled so far, hundreds of measurements have been made of ice thickness and snow cover over the 243km covered to date.

BBC: Arctic team: 'London, we have a problem'