The extent of Arctic sea ice peaked at 15.24 million square kilometers on March 18, 2012. It was the ninth consecutive year of maximum extents below the long-term average.
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.
The sea ice cap atop the Arctic Ocean reached its annual maximum extent on February 25, 2015. It was the smallest maximum extent in the satellite record and one of the earliest.
These images show Arctic sea ice extent for the September 2009 summer minimum and the March 2010 winter maximum. Ice extents were greater than they had been in many recent years, but were still below the long-term average.