Ice minimum extent. Medical search. Frequent questions

The plot shows in grey shades the daily median (solid line), interdecile range (light shading) and interquartile range (dark shading) during 1991-2020, as well as the daily minimum and maximum during 1979-2022 (dashed lines). (copernicus.eu)
Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent on September 15, 2020, according to researchers at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). (nasa.gov)
The map at the top of this page shows the sea ice extent-defined as the total area in which the ice concentration is at least 15 percent-at its 2020 minimum on September 15. (nasa.gov)
2020 and 2012 remain the only years when sea ice extent has fallen below 4.0 million square kilometers (1.54 million square miles). (nasa.gov)
Numerous factors combined to shrink sea ice so much in 2020 . (nasa.gov)
Also, sea ice was already much thinner going into the 2020 melt season than in years past-the accumulated result of the general long-term decline in summer sea ice extent. (nasa.gov)
The summer 2020 storm definitely had an effect, but it didn't seem sufficient to cause the really significant loss of ice to drive a new record low," Petty said. (nasa.gov)
By the date of the 2020 minimum, there was still more sea ice remaining in the Beaufort Sea compared to 2012, and slightly less in the Laptev and East Greenland seas. (nasa.gov)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (2020, September 21) 2020 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum at Second Lowest on Record . (nasa.gov)
National Snow & Ice Data Center (2020, September 21) Arctic sea ice decline stalls out at second lowest minimum . (nasa.gov)
UCL just announced CryoSat data reveals it's melting faster than predicted (though no data published) and it is very hard to extrapolate PIOMAS data and see an ice free September any later than 2020. (realclimate.org)
2020 will have the least Arctic sea ice ever - aside from 2012. (phys.org)
Extremely high temperatures across Siberia during spring 2020 resulted in the lowest June snow extent across the Eurasian Arctic observed in the past 54 years . (arcticportal.org)
Arctic sea ice extent was 8% below average, ranking 12th lowest in the 43-year satellite data record and fourth highest value since 2007, well above the very low extents of 2012, 2019 and 2020. (yubanet.com)

Every year, the frozen seawater in the Arctic Ocean and around Antarctica reaches a maximum and minimum extent. (nasa.gov)
Each year, the Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum extent in September. (alaska-native-news.com)
This ice pack generally reaches its maximum extent around September . (windows2universe.org)
NSIDC, 2014: Arctic sea ice reaches minimum extent for 2014. (oceaneconomics.org)

Everybody living close to a lake freezing in Winter knows thickness melts gradually extent not. (realclimate.org)
As the planet warms, on average and over time, every summer more ice melts. (motherjones.com)
it depends on past measurements as well as models of how the ice melts. (motherjones.com)
Now it's like the invaders have tunneled in from underneath and the ice pack melts from within. (sciencedaily.com)
Every year since 2007 has seen more than 10 million square kilometers of seasonal ice melt, reflecting both a transition towards thinner winter ice that melts out more easily in summer as well as changes in the Arctic climate that foster more ice melt each year," said NSIDC senior scientist Julienne Stroeve . (alaska-native-news.com)
While ice conditions approached the 1979 to 2000 average levels for this time of year, the high ice extent will have little influence on how much ice melts this summer. (nsidc.org)
Local weather patterns also have a great impact on the amount of ice that melts during the summer. (climatecentral.org)

In response to the setting sun and falling temperatures, ice extent will now climb through autumn and winter. (insurance-canada.ca)
In contrast to 2007, when climatic conditions (winds, clouds, air temperatures) favored summer ice loss, this year�s conditions were not as extreme. (insurance-canada.ca)
The yearly minimum Arctic sea ice extent has been decreasing at a rapid pace since the late 1970s due to warming temperatures. (eurekalert.org)
It refreezes in the winter, but again as temperatures rise, in general we'll see less ice at any given time as compared to the year before. (motherjones.com)
Its minimum summertime extent, which occurs at the end of the melt season, has been decreasing since the late 1970s in response to warming temperatures. (sciencedaily.com)
The pace of seasonal ice loss also picked up rapidly in July, with Arctic-wide temperatures reaching thesecond warmest during the satellite record (with 2007 ranked as the warmest). (alaska-native-news.com)
However, temperatures for August were not particularly warm, and extent ended up fourth lowest. (alaska-native-news.com)
However, much of the extensive ice cover is thin ice that will melt quickly once temperatures rise in the Arctic. (nsidc.org)
As discussed in previous posts, the high Bering Sea ice extent this winter stemmed from unusually low air temperatures and persistent winds that helped to push ice southwards. (nsidc.org)
Throughout the winter the cold temperatures freeze more and more of the water in the Southern Ocean , gradually building up a layer of ice on the surface that covers millions of square kilometers. (windows2universe.org)
As warmer temperatures arrive in the Antarctic in the springtime, the ice begins to melt and much of the ice pack breaks up. (windows2universe.org)
The high temperatures have had serious implications for the freezing up of sea ice that usually happens at this time of year. (skepticalscience.com)
Average sea surface temperatures have been the highest ever recorded and Antarctic sea ice extent the lowest on record. (greenpeace.org)
Arctic sea ice growth has slowed dramatically in recent weeks, thanks in large part to abnormally warm air and water temperatures. (climatecentral.org)
Arctic sea ice usually peaks in mid to late March so colder temperatures in the next few weeks could help ice growth rebound. (climatecentral.org)
The quality of new ice isn't the same as old sea ice, which tends to be thicker, harder, and more resilient to warmer temperatures. (climatecentral.org)

The ice extent (white) on that day was far lower than the 1981-2010 average extent for the same day (yellow line). (nasa.gov)
This year's minimum is 699,000 square miles (1.81 million square kilometers) lower than the 1981-2010 average. (sciencedaily.com)

Arctic sea ice extent was 4% below average, ranking 2nd lowest for February in the satellite data record, jointly with February 2016 and 2017. (copernicus.eu)
In the Guardian , Nafeez Ahmed reports on a study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and undertaken by scientists with the U.S. Navy has shown that the Arctic could see its first nearly ice-free summer in just three years, in 2016. (motherjones.com)
In this animation, the Earth rotates slowly as the Arctic sea ice advances over time from March 24, 2016 to September 10, 2016, when the sea ice reached its annual minimum extent. (nasa.gov)
The 2016 Arctic minimum sea ice extent is the second lowest minimum extent on the satellite record. (nasa.gov)
Arctic sea ice extent for 20 Dec 2016. (skepticalscience.com)

The analysis by NASA and the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder showed the annual minimum extent was 1.70 million square miles (4.41 million square kilometers) on Sept. 11. (sciencedaily.com)
Sea ice extent hit 4.41 million square kilometers (1.70 million square miles) on September 11 and averaged 4.63 million square kilometers (1.79 million square miles) for the month of September. (alaska-native-news.com)

This is the lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since 1979 and reinforces the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent. (insurance-canada.ca)
The Arctic sea ice extent continues its long-term downward trend. (nasa.gov)
The overall, downward trend in the minimum extent from 1979 to 2023 is 12.5 percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. (fool.com)
The downward trend in the extent of summer sea ice is important because it influences how much sunlight is reflected, which in turn affects climate. (alaska-native-news.com)

Through 2015, Arctic sea ice has now been declining at a rate of 13.4 percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. (alaska-native-news.com)
The orange line in extent and concentration images (left and middle) and the gray line in the time series (right) indicate 1981 to 2010 average extent for the day shown. (nsidc.org)

Time series of monthly mean Antarctic Sea ice extent anomalies for all February months from 1979 to 2023. (copernicus.eu)
Time series of Antarctic daily sea ice extent for 2017 (blue), 2021 (yellow), 2022 (red) and 2023 (black). (copernicus.eu)

In September, the monthly average sea ice extent reached its annual minimum for 2021 in the Arctic and its annual maximum in the Antarctic. (yubanet.com)

However, a shift in wind patterns or a period of late season melt could still push the ice extent lower. (insurance-canada.ca)
Experts cautioned that the announcement is preliminary, and there is still a possibility that changing winds or late season melting could push the ice extent lower. (nasa.gov)

And scientists think warm water could be working its way under the ice and melting it from below. (nasa.gov)
From late July into early August, scientists watched an atmospheric low-pressure system spin over the Arctic Ocean and wondered how it would affect the ice. (nasa.gov)
A decade ago, scientists on a NASA-sponsored ocean expedition found massive populations of phytoplankton blooming beneath sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. (nasa.gov)
Now scientists using underwater instruments and a NASA satellite have found evidence of potentially significant blooms beneath the sea ice encircling Antarctica. (nasa.gov)
But viewed from below the ocean surface-and now with the laser eyes of NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2)-scientists see that Antarctic sea ice is actually riddled with fractures and openings. (nasa.gov)
From this information scientists can derive the height of sections of ice -and also spot the cracks and gaps between them. (nasa.gov)
Scientists have talked about the potential for blooms here, but this is the first time we are seeing them under the ice in Antarctic waters," said Horvat. (nasa.gov)
A new AI (artificial intelligence) tool is set to enable scientists to more accurately forecast Arctic sea ice conditions months into the future. (bas.ac.uk)
BOULDER, Colo., October 6, 2015-At the end of its melt season, the Arctic's ice cover fell to the fourth lowest extent in the satellite record, both in the daily and monthly average, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). (alaska-native-news.com)
Each September, scientists like me look out for the point when the Arctic's meager summer fizzles out and sea ice begins to grow once more. (phys.org)
Scientists project that the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer of 2013. (climatedepot.com)

Warming trends are strongest in the Arctic region, where 2018 saw the continued loss of sea ice. (nasa.gov)
Warming trends are strongest in the Arctic regions, where 2018 saw the continued loss of sea ice, as well as mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets that contribute to sea level rise. (nasa.gov)

This year's minimum is imminent, and there is already even less ice coverage than last year. (phys.org)

The sea ice cap grows and shrinks cyclically with the seasons. (sciencedaily.com)
Arctic sea ice grows and shrinks seasonally, with an annual minimum in September. (skepticalscience.com)

Some analyses have hinted the Arctic's multiyear sea ice, the oldest and thickest ice that survives the summer melt season, appeared to have recuperated partially after the 2012 record low. (sciencedaily.com)
Ice at least 4 years old has declined from 26 percent of the Arctic's ice pack at the end of winter in 1988 to 7 percent in 2013 according to climate.gov . (climatecentral.org)

NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens , using data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center . (nasa.gov)
According to a NASA analysis of satellite data, the 2015 Arctic sea ice minimum extent is the fourth lowest on record since observations from space began. (sciencedaily.com)
In the past, most of this multiyear ice was too thick and compact to melt completely, but now it's more vulnerable," said Walt Meier , research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (alaska-native-news.com)
LEAD: NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center report that the Arctic sea ice minimum ties that of 2007 as the second lowest of the 38 year satellite data record.1. (nasa.gov)
View a video primer on Arctic sea ice by NASA Climate Scientist TomWagner, Arctic Sea Ice 101 . (carleton.edu)
Watch a NASA/GSFC animation of Arctic Monthly Average sea ice from 1979 to 2002. (carleton.edu)
Read the NASA Earth Observatory article about Arctic sea ice minimum and maximum extents. (carleton.edu)
We have some interesting hints that solar activity is associated with climate, but we don't understand the association," Dean Pesnell, a NASA scientist who worked on one of the 2011 studies about the grand minimum, told National Geographic at the time. (heraldnet.com)

Seinä A, Palosuo E (1996) The classification of the maximum annual extent of ice cover in the Baltic Sea 1720-1995. (europa.eu)
Seinä A, Grönvall H, Kalliosaari S, Vainio J (2001) Ice seasons 1996-2000 in Finnish sea areas. (europa.eu)
The sea ice decline has accelerated since 1996. (sciencedaily.com)

On the links between ice nucleation, cloud phase, and climate sensitivity in CESM2 , Geophys. (columbia.edu)

What we have seen this summer reinforces our conclusions that Arctic sea ice extent is in a long-term decline and that we are headed for a seasonally ice-free ocean," said NSIDC director Mark Serreze . (alaska-native-news.com)
Mark Serreze, Director of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, says we're " looking at a seasonally ice-free Arctic in twenty to thirty years . (skepticalscience.com)

But according to Joey Comiso, a sea ice scientist at Goddard, the recovery flattened last winter and will likely reverse after this melt season. (sciencedaily.com)
Between the seasonal maximum extent in February and the minimum in September, the Arctic Ocean lost a total of 10.13 million square kilometers (3.91 million square miles) of ice-the seventh largest total melt season ice loss in the satellite record. (alaska-native-news.com)
Stroeve said low winter ice could affect some aspects of the melt season, though. (climatecentral.org)
Those two factors have contributed to Arctic sea ice melt season lengthening by a month since 1979, though there's still considerable year-to-year variability. (climatecentral.org)
When Arctic sea ice reached a record low minimum in 2012, a two-week period of stormy weather quickly broke up ice and kickstarted the melt season. (climatecentral.org)
While predicting individual storms is near-impossible, starting the melt season with less ice lowers the margin for error said Malte Humpert, executive director of the Arctic Institute . (climatecentral.org)

Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest monthly extent in the satellite data record, at 34% below the average for February, breaking the previous record of February 2017. (copernicus.eu)
For reference, the photograph below shows an aerial view of sea ice around Antarctica on October 29, 2017. (nasa.gov)

Arctic sea ice cover, made of frozen seawater that floats on top of the ocean, helps regulate the planet's temperature by reflecting solar energy back to space. (sciencedaily.com)
Sea ice is frozen seawater. (windows2universe.org)

This appears to have been the lowest extent of the year. (insurance-canada.ca)
The six lowest seasonal minimum ice extents in the satellite record have all occurred in the last six years (2007 to 2012). (insurance-canada.ca)
According to Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of C3S, "Our latest data show that Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent in the 45-year satellite data record. (copernicus.eu)
Analyses of satellite data showed that the Arctic ice cap shrank to 3.74 million square kilometers (1.44 million square miles), making it the second-lowest minimum on record. (nasa.gov)
The lowest 14 ice extents on record have all occurred in the past 14 years. (nasa.gov)
A similar storm in 2012 was a major cause of the lowest sea ice minimum on record. (nasa.gov)
The ice cap tied for the sixth lowest extent on record, continuing a long-term decline. (nasa.gov)
The minimum sea ice extent in 2015 appears to be the fourth lowest in the satellite record. (nasa.gov)
If this is the case, then this is the fourth lowest minimum in the good data set covering the last several decades. (scienceblogs.com)
The twelve lowest extents in the satellite era have all occurred in the last twelve years. (eurekalert.org)
This year is the fourth lowest, and yet we haven't seen any major weather event or persistent weather pattern in the Arctic this summer that helped push the extent lower as often happens," said Walt Meier, a sea ice scientist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (sciencedaily.com)
In contrast, the lowest year on record, 2012, saw a powerful August cyclone that fractured the ice cover, accelerating its decline. (sciencedaily.com)
The 10 lowest minimum extents in the satellite record have occurred in the last 11 years. (sciencedaily.com)
The 2014 minimum was 1.94 million square miles (5.03 million square kilometers), the seventh lowest on record. (sciencedaily.com)
This year edged out 2008 as the fourth lowest extent since satellites started regularly monitoring sea ice in 1979. (alaska-native-news.com)
The lowest Arctic extent on record occurred in 2012, when sea ice measured 3.62 million square kilometers (1.40 million square miles). (alaska-native-news.com)
The nine lowest September ice extents over the satellite record have all occurred in the last nine years. (alaska-native-news.com)
The maximum winter extent, reached on February 25, 2015 at 14.54 million square kilometers (5.61 million square miles), was also the lowest recorded over the period of satellite observations. (alaska-native-news.com)
2010 had the third lowest minimum on record (after 2007 and 2008). (skepticalscience.com)
The annual minimum Arctic sea ice extent, which occurred in September, tied 2007 for the second lowest extent in the satellite record going back to 1979. (accuweather.com)

The National Snow & Ice Data Center has declared that the Arctic Sea ice extent has reached its annual minimum and is now starting to expand. (scienceblogs.com)
Above is the nifty interactive graphic from the National Snow and Ice Data Center showing sea ice extent in the Arctic for the current year (the lower squiggle). (scienceblogs.com)
The sea ice monthly extent for September 2010 was 4.9 million square kilometers, based on National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) estimates. (wattsupwiththat.com)
The National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) follows conditions in the polar regions, including the Arctic minimum sea ice extent each September. (fool.com)
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of the University of Colorado, the Arctic sea ice melted to its third smallest extent (since 1979, when satellite measurements began) in September 2010. (wikipedia.org)
Images courtesy the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). (windows2universe.org)
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center , as of February 18, sea ice covered about 14.36 million square kilometers in the Arctic. (climatecentral.org)
If I look at temperature anomalies, there's a huge anomaly over the Barents Sea and Sea of Okhotsk of about 10°C (above normal) compared to 1981-2010," said Julienne Stroeve, a senior scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (climatecentral.org)

Examining data from more than 2,000 under-ice dives over seven years, the research team found that nearly all measurements showed phytoplankton accumulating even before the sea ice had retreated in Southern Hemisphere spring and summer. (nasa.gov)
Click here to watch an animation of variations in sea ice in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. (windows2universe.org)
The graphics on the right show the monthly mean sea ice extent on the northern hemisphere. (dmi.dk)
Mean monthly sea ice extent in millions of km 2 for the northern hemisphere since 1978. (dmi.dk)
Both images show the sea ice on September 21, 2005, the date at which the sea ice was at its minimum extent in the northern hemisphere. (snopes.com)

Given those observations, the team analyzed ice conditions with ICESat-2 data to develop a picture of where and how much light was penetrating through the cracks and openings in Antarctic sea ice. (nasa.gov)
And, the Antarctic sea ice extent this September was more than 7 million square miles, the 13th greatest extent recorded by satellite. (climatedepot.com)
The growth in Antarctic sea ice is balancing the decline in Arctic sea ice. (climatedepot.com)
Antarctic sea ice extent was slightly below average, after six consecutive months of above average values. (yubanet.com)

This global Level-2 (L2) product provides daily sea ice extent and ice surface temperature. (nsidc.org)
Antarctic daily sea ice extent also reached an all-time minimum, surpassing the previous record set in February 2022. (copernicus.eu)

But until recent studies, the conventional wisdom was that ice cover prevented the growth of phytoplankton for most of the year in the ocean around Antarctica because very little sunlight could penetrate to the water below. (nasa.gov)
Around Antarctica, the compact sea ice seems pretty impenetrable to light," said Chris Horvat, a sea ice scientist at Brown University and the lead author of the new study. (nasa.gov)
Measurements of Antarctic ice made by the European Space Agency's CryoSat satellite show that it's losing about 150 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice on average every year just from the West Antarctica ice sheet alone. (motherjones.com)
I'll note that some people who deny global warming like to talk about ice in Antarctica increasing, not decreasing. (motherjones.com)
In comparison, research has found a strong link between El Niño and the behavior of the sea ice cover around Antarctica. (sciencedaily.com)
El Niño causes higher sea level pressure, warmer air temperature and warmer sea surface temperature in west Antarctica that affect sea ice distribution. (sciencedaily.com)
Ice is melting at accelerating rates in the Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland, and glaciers all over the world. (skepticalscience.com)
The only ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland. (skepticalscience.com)
Similarly, Antarctica is also losing ice at an accelerating rate . (skepticalscience.com)
Antarctica is basically divided into two distinct ice sheets, the West Antarctic and East Antarctic. (skepticalscience.com)

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) , implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with funding from the EU, routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on the changes observed in global surface air temperature, sea ice cover and hydrological variables . (copernicus.eu)
Polar ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis and it is important to closely monitor the changes occurring there. (copernicus.eu)
I remember posts by Peter and Loren on the Climate Change board which were projecting "ice free" September conditions (less than a million square kilometers of ice extent) in only a few years. (fool.com)
A new study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035. (bas.ac.uk)
Historically, the Arctic had a thicker, more rigid sea ice that covered more of the Arctic basin, so it was difficult to tell whether El Niño had any effect on it," said Richard Cullather, a climate modeler at Goddard. (sciencedaily.com)
It provides a detailed update on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice, and in space. (sciencedaily.com)
Click here to see the predictions that global climate models make about future changes in sea ice extent. (windows2universe.org)
The combined impact is a new back and forth relationship between sea ice and ocean heat which could lead to a new ocean climate state in the eastern Arctic Ocean. (phys.org)
The sea ice extent data is composed by a Climate Data Record (CDR, 1979-2015), an Interim CDR (ICDR, since 2015 with 16 days delay) and a daily product to cover the period between the ICDR and today. (dmi.dk)
The decline in sea ice is one of the key indicators of climate change . (climatecentral.org)
Meanwhile, several other recent studies of a possible solar minimum have concluded that whatever climate effects the phenomenon may have will be dwarfed by the warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. (heraldnet.com)

The thicker ice will likely continue to decline," Comiso said. (sciencedaily.com)
A big "hole" appeared in August in the ice pack in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, north of Alaska, when thinner seasonal ice surrounded by thicker, older ice melted. (sciencedaily.com)
Another characteristic of this summer was further loss of the thicker multiyear portion of the ice pack. (alaska-native-news.com)
Overall thickness of the sea ice cover is also decreasing as Arctic ice has transformed from an older, thicker, and stronger ice mass to a younger, thinner more fragile ice mass in the past decade. (arcticportal.org)

Summer sea ice decline is even more precipitous, dropping 13.7 percent per decade over the same period according to the Arctic Report Card . (climatecentral.org)

Arctic ice loss from 1978 throught the end of 2013. (motherjones.com)
The yellow outline shows the average sea ice minimum from 1979 through 2010.TAG: Since 1978 researchers have observed a steep decline in the average extent of Arctic sea ice for every month of the year. (nasa.gov)
The graphs illustrate a decreasing trend in sea ice extent since 1978, with large negative trends during summer and less negative trends during the winter. (dmi.dk)

In the north the Arctic ice floats on the ocean, and on the south the Antarctic ice is over land and sea. (motherjones.com)
Sea ice floats on the ocean surface, and is not to be confused with ice sheets on land. (skepticalscience.com)

More important to the summer melt is the thickness of the ice cover, and summer weather. (nsidc.org)

The minimum this year is the unsurprising result of a continued long-term decline in Arctic sea ice," said Alek Petty, a sea ice scientist NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (nasa.gov)

Assessment Part What is the trend in the extent of Arctic and Baltic sea ice? (europa.eu)

Data source: EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1. (copernicus.eu)
The above graphic, made here (go and play with the interactive graph) shows the first ten years of ice freezing and remelting in the data set to use as a baseline for comparison, and the present year. (scienceblogs.com)
For references , please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/arctic-sea-ice-extent-4 or scan the QR code. (europa.eu)
The right map combines satellite data and models to show where there was likely enough light penetrating the ice to sustain blooms. (nasa.gov)
Sure, it is a good thing there is a long record of extent data. (realclimate.org)
Sea ice data is updated daily, with a one-day lag. (nsidc.org)
Sea Ice Index data. (nsidc.org)
Because of the very slow rate of ice loss through the last half of March and the first three weeks of April, ice extent averaged for April ranked close to average out of 34 years of satellite data. (nsidc.org)
The graph above shows Arctic sea ice extent as of May 1, 2012, along with daily ice extent data for the previous five years. (nsidc.org)
Ice volume data paints a picture even more dire: the Arctic has actually lost not one third but two thirds of September sea ice. (skepticalscience.com)
Sea ice in January, the last full month for which data is available, has declined 3.2 percent per decade since 1979 compared to the 1981-2012 average. (climatecentral.org)
Maps and quoted data values for sea ice are drawn from a combination of information from ERA5, as well as from the EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1, Sea Ice Concentration CDR/ICDR v2 and fast-track data provided upon request by OSI SAF. (yubanet.com)

This year�s minimum was 760,000 square kilometers (293,000 square miles) below the previous record minimum extent in the satellite record, which occurred on September 18, 2007. (insurance-canada.ca)
Overall there was a loss of 11.83 million square kilometers (4.57 million square miles) of ice since the maximum extent occurred on March 20, 2012, which is the largest summer ice extent loss in the satellite record, more than one million square kilometers greater than in any previous year. (insurance-canada.ca)
Arctic sea ice extent for April 2012 was near average for the month in the satellite record, but was the highest since 2001. (nsidc.org)
Melt extent in Greenland was the tenth highest in the 38-year satellite record. (accuweather.com)

Although the 2015 minimum appears to have been reached, there is a chance that changing winds or late-season melt could reduce the Arctic extent even further in the next few days. (sciencedaily.com)

This chart shows trend lines and observation points for March (the month of sea ice extent maximum) and September (the month of sea ice extent minimum) have been indicated. (europa.eu)
In addition to an earlier and record-low maximum, early ice retreat and a fast July and August rate of ice loss contributed to this year's low minimum extent. (alaska-native-news.com)

On September 12, 2009, sea ice reached its annual minimum extent, covering 5.10 million square kilometers (2.97 million square miles) of the Arctic Ocean. (nasa.gov)
This point is known as the annual sea ice minimum extent. (phys.org)
The September sea ice extent correspond to the annual minimum sea ice extent. (dmi.dk)

On September 16, Arctic sea ice appeared to have reached its minimum extent for the year of 3.41 million square kilometers (1.32 million square miles). (insurance-canada.ca)
This year�s minimum is 18% below 2007 and 49% below the 1979 to 2000 average. (insurance-canada.ca)
The spatial pattern of ice extent at this year�s seasonal minimum is different than that observed for 2007. (insurance-canada.ca)
This year the ice is more extensive in some parts of the central Arctic Ocean. (insurance-canada.ca)
However, the ice is less extensive this year compared to 2007 in the Beaufort Sea, the western Laptev Sea, the East Greenland Sea, and parts of the Canadian Archipelago. (insurance-canada.ca)
As mentioned in our previous post, the Northern Sea Route opened around mid August this year, compared to 2007 when a tongue of ice extended to the coast, blocking the route. (insurance-canada.ca)
This year Arctic sea ice has just about reached its minimum. (notrickszone.com)
Every year the sea ice that covers the northern part of the Earth expands and contracts though the winter and the summer. (scienceblogs.com)
This version of the graph shows the years with less ice, so far, than the present year. (scienceblogs.com)
Has the Arctic Sea ice extent peaked for the year? (scienceblogs.com)
The loss of sea ice is about 77,800 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) per year, equivalent to losing the state of Nebraska or the Czech Republic annually. (fool.com)
By popular demand, a thread devoted to the continuing decline of Arctic sea ice, and a potential new record minimum this year. (realclimate.org)
note how much lower the ice was this year. (motherjones.com)
This in turn is raising the sea level by about 0.3 millimeters per year (again, just from the West Antarctic ice sheet alone). (motherjones.com)
the sea ice fluctuates every year, and has grown marginally recently , but this is tiny compared to the loss of land ice. (motherjones.com)
These results actually came out last year, and are based on ice loss from a few years back, using a relatively straightforward extrapolation. (motherjones.com)
In some recent years, low sea-ice minimum extent has been at least in part exacerbated by meteorological factors, but that was not the case this year. (sciencedaily.com)
This year, the Arctic sea ice cover experienced relatively slow rates of melt in June, which is the month the Arctic receives the most solar energy. (sciencedaily.com)
Click here to check out an interactive that allows you to compare sea ice extent at different times of the year or during different years. (windows2universe.org)
However, the ocean warms the ice from below year-round. (phys.org)
Our new research shows that this influence has more than doubled over the past decade or so, and is now equivalent to the melting of nearly a meter thickness of sea ice each year (For comparison, at the North Pole the ocean is usually only covered by a couple meters of ice). (phys.org)
Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago, when the year 1979 also drew to a close. (skepticalscience.com)
Record low ice extent in winter doesn't directly translate into record low extent in the summer in a given year. (climatecentral.org)
On a regional scale, sea ice extent reached a record minimum in the Greenland Sea but a 15-year high in the Beaufort-Chukchi Sea sector. (yubanet.com)

This thinner ice was more prone to be broken up and melted by weather events, such as the strong low pressure system just mentioned. (insurance-canada.ca)
The MOSAiC Expedition, the yearlong expedition based from the Polarstern icebreaker in the central Arctic Ocean, drifted much faster than anticipated through thinner ice than expected , experiencing sea ice dynamics that complicated the scientific mission. (arcticportal.org)

In the wide and coarse views from most satellites, ice cover can appear uniform and sheet-like, reinforcing the idea that light would be too scarce and faint for plant-like life below. (nasa.gov)
In 1979, when satellites first measured it, September Arctic sea ice extent was roughly equivalent to the area of Australia. (skepticalscience.com)

The color of the sea ice is derived from the AMSR-E 89 GHz brightness temperature while the extent of the sea ice was determined by the AMSR-E sea ice concentration. (snopes.com)
The extent to which urine can be cooled to less than 0°C reflects the concentration of substances dissolved in the urine. (medscape.com)

On September 16, 2012 sea ice extent dropped to 3.41 million square kilometers (1.32 million square miles). (insurance-canada.ca)
The September 2012 minimum was in turn 3.29 million square kilometers (1.27 million square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average minimum, representing an area nearly twice the size of the state of Alaska. (insurance-canada.ca)
They found 3 to 5 million square kilometers (1.2 to 1.9 million square miles)-an area larger than India-of the ice-covered Southern Ocean could allow enough light to penetrate and support some under-ice blooms. (nasa.gov)
In Summer 5 million square kilometers of extent might look healthy, but if thickness is just a few centimeters it's all gone within days. (realclimate.org)
Looking at the sea ice extent (essentially, how much area is covered by ice) over the past few years, we've lost about 2 million square kilometers over 15 years. (motherjones.com)
Arctic sea ice extent for September 2015 was 4.63 million square kilometers (1.79 million square miles). (alaska-native-news.com)
The ice extent went down to 1.6 million square miles. (nasa.gov)
Arctic sea ice extent for April 2012 was 14.73 million square kilometers (5.69 million square miles). (nsidc.org)
Arctic sea ice extent in April 2012 averaged 14.73 million square kilometers (5.69 million square miles). (nsidc.org)
Overall, the Arctic lost 1.07 million square kilometers (413,000 square miles) of ice during April, somewhat less than the 1979 to 2000 average April loss of 1.21 million square kilometers (467,000 square miles). (nsidc.org)
This year's summer Arctic minimum sea ice extent was nearly 1.5 million square miles. (climatedepot.com)

The minimum extent was reached three days later than the 1979 to 2000 average minimum date of September 13. (insurance-canada.ca)
It was the highest average ice extent for the month since 2001, only 270,000 square kilometers (104,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average extent. (nsidc.org)
On April 24, ice extent was only 118,000 square kilometers (45,6000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average for that day, although the difference has increased since then. (nsidc.org)

By the end of July, the fast pace of ice loss during the month resulted in the 2015 extent falling within 550,000 square kilometers (212,000 square miles) of the 2012 record low extent, and tracked below the levels recorded for 2013 and 2014. (alaska-native-news.com)
Contrarians claim Arctic sea ice has "recovered" since the record low extent of 2007. (skepticalscience.com)

Changing winds could still push ice floes together, reducing ice extent further. (insurance-canada.ca)
The boat rowed through open water with icebergs and floating sea ice around the Noice Peninsula through channels opened up by the winds and sea currents before reaching a dense area of ice that had been driven into the bay by storms. (wikipedia.org)

It is likely that the primary reason for the large loss of ice this summer is that the ice cover has continued to thin and become more dominated by seasonal ice. (insurance-canada.ca)
A fair question to ask is, when will we see an ice-free summer there? (motherjones.com)
Arctic sea ice cover grows each autumn and winter as the sun sets for several months, and shrinks through spring and summer as the sun rises higher in the northern sky. (alaska-native-news.com)
The loss of summer ice is affecting Arctic ecosystems and is making the region more accessible to shipping and other activities. (alaska-native-news.com)
Ten years ago this would have been an astonishing summer of ice melt," said Ted Scambos , NSIDC's lead scientist. (alaska-native-news.com)
Research has shown that sea ice extent in spring does not tell us much about ice extent the following summer. (nsidc.org)
This continues throughout the summer , so the extent of the ice pack is usually at its minimum around February. (windows2universe.org)
This continues throughout the summer , so the extent of the ice pack is usually at its minimum around September. (windows2universe.org)
The Montreal Protocol is delaying the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic summer , Proc. (columbia.edu)
Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk by an area equal to Western Australia, and might be all gone in a decade. (skepticalscience.com)
The gray line is average for 1981-2010 and the dashed line shows the extent for 2011-12, the years when a record-low summer minimum occurred. (climatecentral.org)
Arctic sea ice continues to trend younger and thinner, which makes it more susceptible to complete melt off during the summer months. (accuweather.com)

The magenta line shows the 1981 to 2010 median extent for that month. (alaska-native-news.com)

One thing is certain: The predictions of an ice-free Arctic soon made a decade ago were flat out wrong. (notrickszone.com)
The way I see it, the Arctic ice volumes may be decreasing further in forthcoming decade, while both N. Europe and N.E. US winters get much colder. (wattsupwiththat.com)
Monthly April ice extent for 1979 to 2012 shows a decline of 2.6% per decade. (nsidc.org)
That equals roughly 18,500 square miles in ice lost per decade, the same area as Vermont and New Hampshire combined. (climatecentral.org)

April ice extent was 860,000 square kilometers (330,000 square miles) above the record low for the month, which happened in 2007. (nsidc.org)
The average daily rate of ice loss was 35,600 square kilometers (13,700 square miles) per day. (nsidc.org)
In 2005, sea ice extent was also significantly lower than normal in mid-February, but rebounded more than 190,000 square miles in less than a month. (climatecentral.org)

But the more specific answer is that Arctic sea ice is increasingly being thinned not just by warm air from above but by ever-warmer waters from below. (phys.org)

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