For the second year in succession, scientists report that the extent of the sea ice in the Arctic region has continued to shrink dramatically to record winter levels.
LONDON, 30 March, 2016 – Researchers in the US say that Arctic sea ice has reached a record low winter maximum for the second year running.
Data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the US space agency NASA shows that the sea ice peaked on 24 March at 5.607 million square miles, or 14.52 million square kilometres. This is the lowest maximum since satellite measurements began in 1979.
“I’ve never seen such a warm, crazy winter in the Arctic,” says the NSIDC director, Mark Serreze. “The heat was relentless.”