Sixth lowest ice extent in Arctic
The summer Arctic sea-ice melt season is almost at an end.
Northern residents in some areas are seeing thin sheens of ice on the sea.
This week the National Snow and Ice Date Centre (NSIDC) said the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice will be slightly lower than last year’s, making it the sixth lowest extent in the satellite record.
NSIDC bases its analysis on satellite images of Arctic ice cover.
The agency said that the images and data on September 15, showed the ice cover had shrunk to 30,000 square kilometers less than last year at this time.
It also noted that the Arctic sea-ice extent remains low compared to the long term average of measurements from 1981 to 2010.
The Arctic ice extent reached its maximum on March 21 this year, the fifth lowest on satellite record.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Rare World Series footage found in Yukon permafrost, Radio Canada International
Finland: Summertime snow in Finland, Yle News
Greenland: Field notes from Greenland – From the glacier to the sea, Blog by Mia Bennett
Russia: Giant virus revived from ancient permafrost in Siberia, CBC News
United States: NASA projects tracking changes in Alaska’s glaciers and Arctic atmosphere, Alaska Dispatch
