How much ice is left in the Arctic 2021?

Arctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.77 million square kilometers (5.70 million square miles) on March 21, 2021, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Is Arctic ice increasing?

The Arctic regularly reaches ever smaller extents of end-of-summer minimum extents of sea ice. This changing sea ice extent is cited by the IPCC as an indicator of a warming world. However, sea ice extent is growing in Antarctica [1]. In fact, it’s recently broken a record for maximum extent.

What do you predict the extent of Arctic sea ice will be in 2020?

about 4.36 million square kilometers
While Bushuk’s GFDL model has been one of the most aggressive in forecasting melting conditions for 2020, the consensus of the researchers is that the sea ice minimum this year will be about 4.36 million square kilometers(1.68 million square miles), or close to what was observed in 2019, the second-lowest year on …

Is Arctic sea ice increasing or decreasing?

Sea ice in the Arctic has decreased dramatically since the late 1970s, particularly in summer and autumn. However, after 2014, Antarctic ice extent began to decline, reaching a record low (within the 40 years of satellite data) in 2017, and remaining low in the following two years.

Is the Antarctic ice cap getting bigger?

East Antarctica sea ice has been increasing since 1978, though not at a statistically significant rate. The atmospheric warming has been directly linked to the mass losses in West Antarctica of the first decade of the twenty-first century.

What time of the year will Arctic sea ice typically reach it minimum?

The Arctic sea ice minimum marks the day, each year, when the sea ice extent is at its lowest. The sea ice minimum occurs at the end of the summer melting season. The summer melt season usually begins in March and ends sometime during September.

How much ice has the Arctic lost?

A 2018 study of the thickness of sea ice found a decrease of 66\% or 2.0 m over the last six decades and a shift from permanent ice to largely seasonal ice cover.

During what month does Arctic sea ice reach its minimum?

Septembers
In Brief: Arctic sea ice extent has declined significantly in all months since satellite measurements began in 1979, with Septembers showing the largest declines. The last 15 Septembers show the lowest values. Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each September.

What is Sea extent?

Extent is the total area of ocean that’s at least 15 percent ice covered.

What has happened to Arctic sea ice?

Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate change. We lose Arctic sea ice at a rate of almost 13\% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95\%. Sea ice loss has far-reaching effects around the world.

How big was the Arctic sea ice in September 2019?

Arctic sea ice extent for September 2019 was 4.32 million square kilometers (1.67 million square miles). The magenta line shows the 1981 to 2010 average extent for that month. Sea Ice Index data. About the data Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center High-resolution image Figure 1b.

What is the average decline in Arctic sea ice?

Arctic Sea Ice Minimum. Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each September. September Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 12.8 percent per decade, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. This graph shows the average monthly Arctic sea ice extent each September since 1979, derived from satellite observations.

What is the average Arctic sea ice extent for May 2021?

Arctic sea ice extent continued the slow pace of seasonal decline observed in April, leading to an average extent for May 2021 of 12.66 million square kilometers (4.89 million square miles).

What drives the weather in the High Arctic in August?

A pair of monthly-averaged high and low air pressure regions governed the weather in the high Arctic in August, centered in the northernmost Laptev and the central Beaufort Seas, respectively.