Arctic Ice At Record Low This Summer

Satellite measurements showed 2.02 million square miles of ice in the Arctic, falling below the Sept. 21, 2005, record minimum of 2.05 million square miles. Sea ice is particularly low in the East Siberian side of the Arctic and the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska. Scientists began monitoring the extent of Arctic sea ice in the 1970s when satellite images became available. The polar regions have long been of concern to climate specialists studying global warming because those regions are expected to feel the impact of climate change sooner and to a greater extent than other areas. Unusually clear sky conditions have prevailed in the Arctic in June and July, promoting more sunshine at the time when the sun is highest in the sky over the region.
(Image From September, 2005)