Welcome to the new normal: For the third straight year, Arctic sea ice peaked at a record low level during the winter season, scientists said Wednesday.
Arctic sea ice cover reached its annual peak extent on March 7, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said, at 5.57 million square miles. This is the lowest in the 38-year satellite record, and very likely far longer than that based on other data. This year's peak was about 37,000 miles less than the 2015 record.
When compared to the 1981-2010 long-term average, sea ice extent this year was a staggering 471,000 square miles below the average annual maximum. This means a chunk of ice about the size of Texas, California and Kentucky combined was missing from the top of the world. Read more...
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