This natural gatekeeper, which prevents sea ice from exiting the Arctic Ocean and drifting southward into Baffin Bay, was still intact in late May 2020.
Published Jun 3, 2020
The structure that prevents sea ice from exiting the Arctic Ocean through the Nares Strait crumbled months earlier than usual.
Published Jun 26, 2019
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
Acquired April 11 and 24, 2012, these images show the movement of sea ice in the Bering Sea with the advance of spring.
Published May 6, 2012
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
Thin sea ice swirled along the east coast of Greenland in October 2012, against a backdrop of overall thinning sea ice.
Published Oct 27, 2012
Acquired August 17, 2010, this natural-color image shows a mostly clear McClure Strait, except for some sea ice west of Prince Patrick Island.
Published Aug 18, 2010
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
Arctic sea ice has been retreating the fastest in the Beaufort Sea.
Published Oct 18, 2017
The amount of Arctic Ocean covered by ice was significantly more than the record low of 2012, but still well below the long-term average.
Published Sep 21, 2013
In September 2011, the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record.
Published Oct 5, 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 April 2016, unusually warm temperatures and heavy winds broke the sea ice pack to pieces.
Published May 20, 2016
