Arctic Sea Ice Ties Ominous Record Amid Geopolitical Upheaval
Wintertime ice shrank to a record-low level for the second year running, a sign of how climate change is reshaping the region.
Northern lights over sea ice in Greenland.
Photographer: Juliette Pavy/BloombergSea ice in the Arctic has tied last year’s record for its lowest-ever winter coverage. The findings, published Thursday by the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, add to the clear signals that the Arctic is undergoing a rapid shift as the fastest-warming part of the world.
Last year, sea ice topped out at roughly 14.3 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles). That represented a loss of 2.3 million square kilometers of ice — an area on par with the whole country of Saudi Arabia — compared to 1979, when satellite recordkeeping began. This year the winter ice reached its high point on March 14, at a level that’s virtually indistinguishable from the year before.