Record-Breaking Minimum Arctic Sea Ice Extent During Winter Revealed in Video Footage (VIDEO)
The Arctic sea ice reached a record low wintertime maximum extent for the second consecutive year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The maximum extent, which was recorded at 5.607 million square miles, is the lowest in the satellite record and 431,000 square miles below the 1981 to 2010 average maximum extent.
The new record low follows a series of record high temperatures in December, January, and February around the globe and in the Arctic. As winter sea ice disappears, areas of unusually warm air temperatures in the Arctic expand, with temperatures up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above average at the edges of the ice pack where sea ice is thin. These warmer areas also experience increased evaporation, contributing to increased cloudiness, which further warms the surface in the winter.
Summer weather conditions have a larger impact than the extent of the winter maximum in the outcome of each year's melt season. Warm temperatures and summer storms can make the ice melt quickly, while cool summers can slow the melt. However, the warming ocean waters are likely to play a bigger role in the future trend of Arctic maximum extents.
The impact of missing sea ice is mostly felt in the atmosphere during the winter. Unfavorable wind patterns in the Arctic during January and February brought warm air from the south and prevented expansion of the ice cover. In the summer, the absence of sea ice can lead to increased heat absorption by the ocean waters, accelerating the melting process.
Since 1979, there has been a loss of 620,000 square miles of winter sea ice cover, an area more than twice the size of Texas. The 13 smallest maximum extents on the satellite record have happened in the last 13 years, highlighting the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice.
Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at Rutgers University, stated that in places where sea ice has been lost, those areas of open water will put more heat into the atmosphere because the air is much colder than unfrozen sea water. The Arctic sea ice plays an important role in maintaining Earth's temperature by reflecting solar energy. As the sea ice continues to decline, more heat is absorbed by the ocean waters, contributing to further warming and melting of the Arctic ice.
While the record low sea ice maximum extent this year may not lead to a subsequent record low summertime minimum extent, the trend of declining Arctic sea ice is a cause for concern. The Arctic is warming at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the planet, and the loss of sea ice is a key indicator of this rapid warming. Understanding and addressing the causes of Arctic sea ice decline is crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and the global community.
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