Horizon... approaching the North Pole

This photo was taken on the plane from Tromsø to Longyearbyen, March 1. 2004.
You can just see the open ocean disappearing in the lower right corner. We had just passed the Bear Island, where the floating ice had set around the shores, and the currents had formed an elegant tail eastwards.
It was a cold day, and we expected full use of our wool underwear during our stay. Instead we woke up to + 5'C and soft rain, and the heavy clouds made the faint daylight even darker.
But the views from our flight stays in my memory, and new information of the rapidly melting polar ice make me fear the changes in our environment.