GENEVA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Arctic sea ice cover on Sept. 16 shrank to 3.41 million square kilometers, the lowest summer minimum extent since satellite records began in 1979, as a result of global warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
Citing statistics from the United States National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the WMO said this year's minimum was nearly 50 percent lower than the 1979-to-2000 average.
There has been a total loss of 11.83 million square kilometers of ice since this March, the largest summer ice extent loss on record.
Each year, the Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum extent in September. Recognized as a sensitive climate indicator, the region's sea ice extent has shown a dramatic overall decline over the past 30 years.
The WMO said the melting of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is related to global warming. Acceleration of the melting process in the Arctic and reduction in the size of the ice pack might lead to more extreme weather, the organization said.
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Arctic sea ice shrinks to new low in satellite era
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The blanket of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean melted to its lowest extent ever recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to scientists from U.S. space agency NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
On Aug. 26, the Arctic sea ice extent fell to 1.58 million square miles, or 4.10 million square kilometers. The number is 27, 000 square miles, or 70,000 square kilometers below the record low daily sea ice extent set Sept. 18, 2007. Since the summer Arctic sea ice minimum normally does not occur until the melt season ends in mid- to-late September, the scientists expect the sea ice extent to continue to dwindle for the next two or three weeks, said Walt Meier, an NSIDC scientist. Full story
Arctic sea ice reaches second lowest in satellite record: report
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The blanket of sea ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2011, the second lowest recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to a report released Thursday by the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
The Arctic sea ice extent fell to 1.67 million square miles, or 4.33 million square kilometers on Sept. 9. This year's minimum of 1.67 million square miles is more than one million square miles below the 1979-2000 monthly average extent for September -- an area larger than Texas and California combined, according to the NSIDC. Full story
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