As the Arctic experienced a new record summer minimum for ice extent, the Antarctic set a new record for maximum winter sea ice.
Published Oct 11, 2012
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
This pair of images shows Antarctic sea ice concentrations at the 2008 winter maximum and the 2009 summer minimum compared to the median ice extent from 1979–2000.
Published May 23, 2009
These images show overall Arctic sea ice extent on September 19, 2010 (the date of the 2010 minimum), and sea ice growth in mid-September 2010.
Published Oct 6, 2010
New elevation measurements will give researchers an unprecedented understanding of the thickness of sea ice, which will be used to help improve climate modeling and forecasts.
Published Dec 18, 2018
Changing weather conditions left their mark on sea ice along the Antarctic Peninsula in late 2008 and early 2009. In mid-December 2008, melt water resting on the sea ice colored it sky blue. At the beginning of 2009, however, the sea ice appeared snowy white, and cracks had begun along the ice margin.
Published Jan 9, 2009
A spectacular view of sea ice was captured during an Operation IceBridge flight in 2014; the mission surveyed ice at both poles again in 2015, this time simultaneously.
Published Oct 4, 2015
These satellite-based maps show sea ice concentration in the Arctic and Antarctic during September 2008 and February 2009, the months of the sea ice maximums and minimums in the respective hemispheres.
Published Apr 21, 2009
The long-term trend for Arctic sea ice extent has been definitively downward.
Published Sep 23, 2019Image of the Day Heat Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing Sea and Lake Ice
Due to accelerated Arctic losses, Earth has been shedding sea ice since 1979 at an annual rate of 35,000 square kilometers (13,500 square miles).
Published Feb 11, 2015
In 2015, the annual maximum extent of Antarctic sea ice dropped below previous consecutive years of record highs.
Published Oct 18, 2015
Compiled from passive microwave sensor data, these images show Arctic sea ice extent for September 2002 and March 2003.
Published May 16, 2009
In April 2016, unusually warm temperatures and heavy winds broke the sea ice pack to pieces.
Published May 20, 2016
On February 24, 2008—late summer in the Southern Hemisphere—the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of lingering sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
Published Feb 28, 2008
Carried by winds and currents, sea ice can reach the coast of Hokkaido, Japan.
Published Mar 19, 2020
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
These maps compare Arctic sea ice minimum extents in 1984 (a year with average coverage) and 2012 (the new record low).
Published Sep 27, 2012
Shifting winds and warm air temperatures contributed to the record-low extent of sea ice around Antarctica in November.
Published Dec 16, 2016
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. This image shows the 2009 ice extent compared to the 1979-2000 average.
Published Sep 19, 2009
