Arctic sea ice extent has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 4.64 million square kilometers (1.79 million square miles) on September 13, 2017, according to a team of international scientists. The 2017 minimum is the eighth lowest in the 38-year satellite record. The Arctic sea ice minimum marks the day – typically in mid-September – when sea ice reaches its smallest extent at the end of the summer melt season.
Arctic sea ice extent has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 4.64 million square kilometers (1.79 million square miles) on September 13, 2017, according to a team of international scientists. The 2017 minimum is the eighth lowest in the 38-year satellite record. The Arctic sea ice minimum marks the day – typically in mid-September – when sea ice reaches its smallest extent at the end of the summer melt season.
The retreat of summer Arctic sea ice is unquestionable. For over 35 years special satellite-mounted sensors, which can see through cloud and the polar night, have obtained daily ‘images’ of the entire Arctic region. From these images, the extent of the sea ice has been accurately determined, year after year. This data shows September sea ice has declined from over 7 million km2 in the 1970s to about 3.5 million km2 in 2012; a loss of about half the summer Arctic sea ice cover.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Image: Graph showing the trend of Arctic sea-ice decline since 1979 (Credit: NASA)
