Increasingly describing the Arctic, unlike the first answer? (3-4)

I believe the answer is:

ice-free

'increasingly describing the arctic' is the definition.
(arctic ice is melting)

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for ice-free that I've seen before include "(Of water) not frozen" , "Like much of the Arctic in summer" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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