A cruise ship that made what its operator called the “first-ever luxury” cruise through Canada’s Northwest Passage has docked in New York.
READ MORE: Crystal Serenity’s journey draws excitement, climate change fears
The Crystal Serenity’s voyage is part of a growing Arctic tourism industry spurred by rising temperatures and receding ice.
The ship departed from Anchorage, Alaska on Aug. 16, and cut through frigid northern waters before reaching New York on Friday morning.
The route was first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but has been ice-free only in recent years.
READ MORE: Why the Arctic snow is turning pink and why it’s a bad sign
The journey raises questions about further human degradation of a region disproportionately affected by climate change, where temperatures are rising twice as quickly as the world average.
The cruise was priced at a minimum of $19,755 per passenger, which is more than $600 per day higher than last year’s average daily cruise price of $168.43, according to the industry analytics firm Cruise Market Watch.
The Arctic has been warming quickly because a thaw of white ice and snow exposes darker ground and water below that absorb more of the sun’s heat.
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