"The Arctic Just Set Another Grim Record For Low Levels Of Sea Ice"

"Floating sea ice at the top of the world has set another troubling record for its low spatial extent, shattering a prior record set just two years ago for this key component of the planet’s climate system.

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the sheet of Arctic sea ice, which expands and contracts in an annual cycle, probably reached its maximum size this year on March 7, when it spanned 14.42 million square kilometers or 5.57 million square miles atop the Arctic ocean. That’s an enormous area, but it’s also the smallest winter maximum extent ever observed in records dating back to the year 1979.

A low ice extent at the peak of winter is troubling because from here on out, the ice will continue to shrink all the way into September, exposing ever more of the Arctic ocean to the sun’s warming rays and storing up heat in the system."

Chris Mooney reports for the Washington Post March 22, 2017.

SEE ALSO:

"Arctic’s Winter Sea Ice Drops to Its Lowest Recorded Level" (New York Times)