Here's a glimpse of the North Pole over a three-month stretch.

Near the end [of this video], a ridge forms as two floes collide close to the camera.

Dot Earth blogger Andrew Revkin coupled the video with an interview with authors of the latest Arctic study -- NASA's Ron Kwok and Jay Zwally. The study's results? Not good. 

Q. If the Arctic essentially goes to Antarctic-style sea ice (there in winter, gone in summer) does that “matter” much in the grand scheme of things?

A. If we lose the summer ice cover, more heat will be absorbed by the ocean during that season. The ocean would become more difficult to cool off for ice formation during the winter - the ocean surface has to cool off before ice production can occur. This effectively shortens the length of the ice growth season. This would have an impact on global atmospheric circulation and thus global climate. More locally, it changes the annual cycle of interactions between the Arctic ice, ocean and atmosphere system and opens the Arctic to shipping, resource exploration/extraction and potential international conflicts.