Arctic sea ice coverage drops below 1.5M square miles for second time since 1979

For just the second time since scientists started tracking Arctic sea ice coverage in 1979, the sea ice extent has dropped below 1.5 million square miles, or 4 million square kilometers.

Every autumn, the Arctic sea ice coverage reaches its minimum extent, before expanding as temperatures rise. Though the sea ice is still shrinking, the minimum extent still days away, coverage is already approaching record lows.

"Our satellite data show that between March and April 2019, there was an unusually large decrease in the ice extent, from which the Arctic sea ice was unable to recover," Christian Haas, a geophysicist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, said in a news release.

The Arctic's rapid springtime melting suggested sea ice coverage was destined for an all-time low, but fluctuating temperatures during the summer helped slow the retreat. Still, melting continued through the end of the summer.

Though temperatures have now dipped below freezing, heat retained by Arctic waters continues to melt sea ice. Though ice could continue to melt into late September, it's unlikely this year's minimum will surpass 2012's record low of 1.3 million square miles.

"Record or not, this year confirms the continued long-term reduction of Arctic sea ice as a result of climate change, making it ever more likely that in a few decades the Arctic will be ice free in summer," Haas said. "This will mean drastic changes in the Arctic, with consequences for the climate and ecosystems, as well as for people, including us in Europe."

Scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute and the University of Bremen's Institute for Environmental Physics use satellite data to calculate the Arctic's sea ice coverage, as well as the thickness of the region's ice. Scientists also track atmospheric conditions, as well as air and sea surface temperatures, in order to better understand the factors that influence ice loss in the region.

Researchers are also preparing for a more intimate study of climate-ice dynamics in the Arctic. Later this month, the research icebreaker Polarstern will set sail in the Laptev Sea for the MOSAiC expedition. After locating a large pack of flowing ice to anchor to, the ship and its team of researchers will drift through the Central Arctic for 12 months.

According to Haas, who will join the second leg of the expedition, the low sea ice extent will make traveling easier, but the lack of ice will make it difficult to find a suitable large and stable ice float to connect the research vessel to.

(function(d, s, id) {

if (d.getElementById(id)) return;

var js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;

js.src = '//cdn4.wibbitz.com/static.js';

d.getElementsByTagName('body')[0].appendChild(js);

}(document, 'script', 'wibbitz-static-embed'));

Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

In Greenland village, shorter winters cast doubts over dog sledding
Kulusuk, Denmark (AFP) Sept 6, 2019
Tethered between pastel-coloured wooden houses in the Greenlandic village of Kulusuk and on hills nearby, the island's famous sled dogs wait through the summer for the ice to form so their hunting season can begin. Greenlanders prize the dogs for their endurance, using them to pull their sleds to hunt seals, whales and polar bears in the winter months when temperatures can drop to minus 35 degrees Celsius (minus 31 Fahrenheit). But as the ice that covers 85 percent of Greenland melts and its win ... read more