Arctic-like conditions might have hit parts of the U.S. this winter, but in the Arctic itself seas have remained ice-free around Norway's Svalbard archipelago.

This photograph shows the edge of the Kongsbreen, the fastest-flowing glacier in Svalbard, which has receded by about 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) in the past 30 years.

Arctic Norway is heading for its mildest winter since monitoring started more than a century ago, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Weather stations in the north of the country recorded seasonal temperatures up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) above average.

At Kongsbreen, the fjord into which the glacier empties hasn't frozen over for three consecutive winters.

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