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Arctic Sea Ice Extent is Third Lowest on Record

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At the end of the Arctic summer, more ice cover remained this year than during the previous record-setting low years of 2007 and 2008. However, sea ice has not recovered to previous levels. September sea ice extent was the third lowest since the start of satellite records in 1979, and the past five years have seen the five lowest ice extents in the satellite record.

Teaser: Arctic Sea Ice Extent is Third Lowest on Record
Image: Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center

Arctic sea ice follows an annual cycle of melting and refreezing, melting through the warm summer months and refreezing in the winter. Sea ice reflects sunlight, keeping the Arctic region cool and moderating global climate. While Arctic sea ice extent varies from year to year because of changeable atmospheric conditions, ice extent has shown a dramatic overall decline over the past thirty years. During this time, ice extent has declined at a rate of 11.2 percent per decade during September (relative to the 1979 to 2000 average) (see Figure), and about 3 percent per decade in the winter months.



> Graph Arctic Sea Ice Extent [1] (Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center)
> Sea Ice Extent Sept 2009 [2] (Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center)
Source: Press release National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) [3]

Categories

  • Arctic
  • Climatic effects
  • Cryosphere
  • Effect
  • Impacts of climate change
  • Sea ice