How much ice is left in the Arctic 2020?

Arctic sea ice extent averaged for September 2020 was 3.92 million square kilometers, the second lowest in the 42-year satellite record, behind only September 2012. This is 350,000 square kilometers above that record low, and 2.49 million square kilometers below the 1981 to 2010 average.

What is currently happening to the Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2020?

In 2020, it was 5 percent. Percent difference from average sea ice extent in the Arctic at each year’s summer minimum in September (bright blue) and winter maximum in March (dark blue) from 1979–2021. Sea ice is declining 5 times more quickly in summer than it is in winter.

Is there any sea ice in the Arctic?

The Arctic sea ice maximum marks the day of the year when Arctic sea ice reaches its largest extent. The sea ice maximum occurs at the end of the winter cold season. The Arctic cold season usually begins in September and ends in March. Monitoring winter sea ice is important to understanding the state of the sea ice.

Is Arctic sea ice increasing?

Sea ice in the Arctic has decreased dramatically since the late 1970s, particularly in summer and autumn. Since the satellite record began in 1978, the yearly minimum Arctic sea ice extent (which occurs in September) has decreased by about 40% [Figure 5].

Is the Arctic shrinking?

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%. If emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2040.

Are ice caps growing or shrinking?

According to climate models, rising global temperatures should cause sea ice in both regions to shrink. But observations show that ice extent in the Arctic has shrunk faster than models predicted, and in the Antarctic it has been growing slightly.

When was the last time the Arctic was ice free?

Summary: Recent mapping of a number of raised beach ridges on the north coast of Greenland suggests that the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean was greatly reduced some 6000-7000 years ago. The Arctic Ocean may have been periodically ice free.

What is the status of Arctic 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%.

Is the Antarctic getting colder?

UAH satellite data of temperatures of the lower troposphere since 1979 shows a slight warming over the Antarctic continent (0.4 degrees C, 1979 to 2021), and a very slight cooling over the Southern ocean to the 60th latitude.

How is the Arctic sea ice this year?

Arctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.88 million square kilometers (5.75 million square miles) on February 25. The 2022 maximum is the tenth lowest in the 44-year satellite record.

What has been different about Arctic ice since 1979?

Since 1979, scientists have observed a decrease in the extent of Arctic sea ice in all months of the year. The September minimum extent is 36.5 per cent smaller in the period 2010–2019 than it was in the 1980s.