A Russian research expedition in the western Arctic Ocean was put on hold as a result of the ice melting in the area. Apparently, the phenomenon took everyone by surprise, as the melting process started with more than a month before it was supposed to.

"The 20 polar researchers and their two dogs climbed on board the 'Mikhail Somov'" research ship late Sunday, Sergei Bolyasnikov, a spokesman for Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Institute, told Agency France Press. "All scientific programs at the station have been stopped," he added.

He also explained that the main reason for the evacuation procedure is the troublesome global warming, which demands immediate attention.

The research ship was quickly stacked with the researchers’ baggage, winterized huts and equipment, as the rapidly shrinking ice floe became extremely unsafe. The headcounters for the mission, called the North Pole – 35 station, were established last September near the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. At the time of their arrival, the ice floe measured 1.2 by 2.5 miles, and now it melted down to just 1,000 by 2,000 feet.

In order to successfully complete all their tasks, the researchers needed to remain on the ice floe at least for an additional 5 weeks.    

The research vessel Mikhail Somov was escorted by the nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika, to make sure that everything goes according to plan and the ship will not get stuck in the icy waters. The station, as a result of the melting process, drifted away between the island of Novaya Zemlya and the Franz Josef Land archipelago, located in the western Arctic.