North Pole Since 2002, the Russians have also annually established a base, Barneo, close to the Pole. This operates for a few weeks during early spring. Studies in the 2000s predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free because of Arctic ice shrinkage, with timescales varying from 2016 to the late 21st century or later. The sea depth at the North Pole has been measured at by the Russian Mir submersible in 2007 and at 4,087 m (13,410 ft) by USS "Nautilus" in 1958. The nearest land is usually said to be Kaffeklubben Island, off the northern coast of Greenland about
Hans Tausen Ice Cap Hans Tausen Ice Cap Hans Tausen Ice Cap () is an ice cap in northern Greenland. Ice cores show it is around 3500–4000 years old. It formed since the Holocene climatic optimum of 6000-8000 BP. The ice cap is about 100 km from north to south and 80 km from east to west and sits on a 1300 m high plateau. The Hans Tausen Ice Cap is the source of many glaciers, including Ymer Glacier, Lur Glacier and the Tjalfe Glacier. It is a well studied ice cap, and is important to understanding the last Climatic Optimum. (Holocene climatic optimum)