ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 16 (UPI) -- Russian scientists say global warming forced an early end to a 300-day expedition of the North Pole.
Sergei Balyasnikov of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, said the Russian flag has been lowered as the team of 21 scientists on Russia's North Pole-35 station prepared to be evacuated ahead of schedule because of melting ice, ITAR-TASS reported Wednesday.
The research station has drifted more than 1,550 miles since last September, while the ice floe to which it was attached shrank to 1,000 by 2,000 feet, the news service said.
"During the flag lowering it began to rain heavily, which is so rare for these latitudes," Vladimir Strugatsky of the Polar Explorers' Association told the Russian news agency. "Moreover, the air temperature is plus three degrees Celsius there, which is polar heat."
