Photo courtesy of NASA.

This image (click to embiggen, click here to embiggen A LOT) was stitched together from photos taken by NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite. It shows the Arctic in all its glory — or anyway, all its remaining glory. The ice cover there has been decreasing fast enough that within 20 years, a photo of the Arctic taken at this time of year would show no floating sea ice at all.

In fact, the ice is disappearing even faster than predicted. Ice-free summers were supposed to begin sometime between 2070 and 2100; now 2030 is looking more realistic. So you know, enjoy this picture while it lasts.