In 1984, there were 1.86 million square kilometers of old ice spread across the Arctic at its yearly minimum extent. In September 2016, there were only 110,000 square kilometers of old ice left.
Published Nov 4, 2016
Thick ice that used to last through multiple summers has been in steep decline for three decades.
Published Mar 1, 2012
This pair of maps shows how the sea ice covering the Arctic at winter maximum in 2009 is younger than it was in the past.
Published Apr 10, 2009
Arctic sea ice has been retreating the fastest in the Beaufort Sea.
Published Oct 18, 2017
In the Arctic, sea ice extent fluctuates with the seasons. It reaches its peak extent in March, near the end of Northern Hemisphere winter, and its minimum extent in September, at the end of the summer thaw. In September 2007, Arctic sea ice extent was the smallest area on record since satellites began collecting measurements about 30 years ago.
Published Mar 25, 2008
Taken from a low-flying airplane on March 26, 2011, these detailed photos of Arctic sea ice show the richly varied texture in the ice floe.
Published Apr 1, 2011
The ice cap tied for the sixth lowest extent on record, continuing a long-term decline.
Published Sep 28, 2018Image of the Day Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing Sea and Lake Ice
In September 2011, the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record.
Published Oct 5, 2011
This animation shows Arctic sea ice shrinking to a near record minimum in the summer of 2011.
Published Sep 22, 2011
The 2014 arctic sea ice minimum is the sixth lowest on record, while antarctic sea ice continues to exceed the record maximum extent.
Published Sep 24, 2014
On August 26, 2012, Arctic sea ice broke all previous records weeks ahead of the end of melt season.
Published Aug 28, 2012
