2016 Arctic sea ice minimum tied for 2nd lowest on record

Friday, September 16, 2016, 7:15 PM - After another month of intense heat, 2016 is shaping up to be the hottest year in recorded history.

If sizzling temperatures and drought aren't any indication, this year's Arctic sea ice minimum is. The Arctic ocean's sea ice cover just reached its minimum extent, tying with the second-lowest on record from 2007.

The satellite video above shows the growth of Arctic ice in the fall and winter, along with its recession in the spring and summer.

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"It was a stormy, cloudy, and fairly cool summer,” said National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) director Mark Serreze in a statement. “Historically, such weather conditions slow down the summer ice loss, but we still got down to essentially a tie for second lowest in the satellite record.”

The Arctic sea ice minimum on Sept. 10 measured 4.14 million square kilometres, with the minimum from September 2007 falling to 4.15 million square kilometres.

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When considering this summer's weather conditions, along with the warmer conditions expected to follow, NSIDC lead scientist Ted Scambos notes that more dramatic losses are on the way.

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SOURCE: National Snow and Ice Data Center