National Snow and Ice Data Center

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Arctic Ice Hits Drastic New Low
 Arctic Ice Hits Drastic New Low 

Arctic Ice Hits Drastic New Low

Melt ends with ice 293K square miles below 2007 record

(Newser) - Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to a record low on August 27 —and kept shrinking for 20 days. The sea has finally begun to refreeze after bottoming out on September 16 at 1.32 million square miles, almost 300,000 square miles less than the record set at...

Polar Meltdown Threatened This Summer

North Pole may be ice free for the first time in human history

(Newser) - The North Pole may become free of ice this summer for the first time in human history. Thick Arctic sea ice that normally covers the polar region has been replaced by ice that formed only in the last year and is susceptible to seasonal melting, reports the Independent. It's a...

Record Heatwave Hits Arctic
Record Heatwave Hits Arctic

Record Heatwave Hits Arctic

Scientists stunned as temperatures trigger drastic change

(Newser) - Record high temperatures have hit parts of the Arctic, triggering a dramatic melt off of sea ice and tundra, and shocking scientists, reports the Independent. Temperatures as high as 72 degrees fahrenheit (22C) on Melville Island, usually one of the coldest places in North America, melted permafrost and set off...

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