Arctic Ice Shrinking Fast...

Written By: Scott Hetsko

This image was taken on just a few weeks ago as the melting season was ending in the Arctic. Ice had shrunk to its second lowest volume since reliable record keeping began in 1979. Many scientists fear that if this trend continues, an ice free Arctic, in the Summer, could arrive in the next few decades.

Sea ice is important because it affects the workings of the world's climate by regulating exchanges of heat, moisture and salinity in the polar oceans. When the ice melts, it exposes open water that absorbs solar energy. The warm ocean waters then favor further sea ice melt. This year, the sea ice was measured at 1.74 million square miles, the second-smallest size since NASA started reporting satellite data in 1979. That compares to last summer's record low of 1.59 million square miles.