ARCTIC SEA ICE EXTENT 1979-2017
Digital Art on Metal 40" W X 20" H
THE grapH
WHAT'S ALARMING
The mean temperature rise in the Arctic region, as measured from the period 1979 through 2017, is twice the global mean temperature rise over the same period. This increase correlates with a significant reduction in Arctic sea ice extent over this period, especially during the summer. Arctic sea ice cover varies over the course of a year and can be two or three times greater at end of winter (shown as March on the graph) vs end of summer (shown as September on the graph).*
“Arctic air temperatures for the past five years (2014-18) have exceeded all previous records since 1900….In 2018 Arctic sea ice remained younger, thinner and covered less area than in the past. The 12 lowest extents in the satellite record have occurred in the last 12 years.”**
*February 2019, NOAA/NASA Annual Global Analysis for 2018, Gavin A. Schmidt, NASA; Derek Arndt, NOAA
**NOAA Arctic Report Card 2018
“Arctic sea ice extent at the end of summer 2019 was tied with 2007 and 2016 as the second lowest since satellite observations began in 1979. The thickness of the sea ice has also decreased, resulting in an ice cover that is more vulnerable to warming air and ocean temperatures.”***
*** NOAA Arctic Report Card 2019