Sea Ice
from U of Washington, by Wipneus, using PIOMAS model - area plus thickness soundings by submarines
Through 2020, sea ice loss was much more in the Arctic than the Antarctic. That reversed in 2021, as Arctic sea ice volume increased.
This makes it harder to project a year when sea ice loss may be near-total in late summer.
2019-2024 Articles
Less Sea Ice Means More Arctic Trees—Which Means Trouble 0324
Arctic Sea Ice Loss – a World of Trouble 0224
Antarctica’s Shrinking Sea Ice Hits a Record Low, Alarming Scientists 0923
Southern Ocean’s Shrunken Sea Ice Has Entered ‘New State’ 0923
What Happens in Antarctica, Doesn’t Stay in Antarctica 0823 - Among other things, declining sea ice amplifies warming - locally and even globally - by increasing how much sunlight the Earth absorbs, for further warming. This albedo effect, an albedo feedback, amplifies how much Earth warms and how fast sea ice melts (shrinks). See top diagram on the Heat webpage.
A Look at How Much Less Antarctic Sea Ice There Is This Year 0823
Scientists Try to Learn Why Antarctica Is Missing Argentina-Sized Sea Ice 0723
June Extremes Suggest Parts of the Climate System Are Reaching Tipping Points 0723
The Arctic May Be Sea Ice-Free in Summer by the 2030s 0623
World Sees 2nd-Hottest May in 30 Years, as Antarctic Ice Reaches New Low 0623
Southern Atmospheric Rivers Are Melting Arctic Sea Ice, So It May Never Recover 0323
Arctic Sea Ice Has Seen an ‘Irreversible’ Thinning since 2007 - 0323
Arctic Climate Modeling Too Conservative, Says New Research 0323
Atmospheric Rivers Aren't a Problem Just for California, but the Arctic, Too 0223
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Climate Change’s Impact Intensifies, Led by Arctic 0822
Plastic Pollution Accelerating the Effects of Climate Change in Canada’s Arctic 0522
Arctic Sea Ice Reached Its Maximum Extent at a Near-Record Early Date 0322
Antarctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Smallest Surface Area on Record 0222
Climate Change Has Destabilized Earth’s Poles, Imperiling the Rest of the Planet 1221
2021 Arctic Report Card Reveals Cascading Disruptions, Extreme Events, Global Connections 1221
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Annual Low, but It’s Not as Low as Recent Years 0921
Disappearing Sea Ice Means Stronger Arctic Tides, Raising Warmer Water & Its Nutrients 0921
Global Warming May Have Already Passed Irreversible Tipping Point in Arctic 0621
The Alarming Power of Melting Arctic Ice 0621
Sea Ice Kept Oxygen from Reaching Deep Ocean during Last Ice Age 0221
Relatively Low Maximum Arctic Sea Ice Extent Is Part of the ‘New Normal’ 0321
Northern Labrador Sea Ice Is Thinning, Fast. The Inuit Are Worried. 0321
Cloud-Making Aerosol Could Devastate Polar Sea Ice 0221
The Arctic Is Now Open for Business Year-Round 0221
The World’s Largest Iceberg Is Headed for South Georgia Island—and Its Wildlife 1220
Climate-Driven Arctic Changes Are Interconnected, Says 2020 Report Card 1220
This Year's Arctic Sea Ice Is Failing to Form, Raising a Huge ‘Red Flag’ 1020
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches a Low, Just Missing Record 0920
The Arctic Is Shifting to a New Climate Because of Global Warming 0920
Arctic Could Be Free of Sea Ice by 2035, Latest Climate Model Predicts 0820
Ships Moving In as Arctic Sea Ice Level Reaches Record Low 0720
Arctic Sea Ice Is in a Downward Spiral, and May Break a Record in 2020 - 0720
Siberia’s Heat Wave Triggered an Arctic Sea Ice Melt 0720
Sea Ice Levels in Eastern Canadian Arctic Remain below Average 0720
Tanker Crosses Russian Arctic Route without Icebreaker Assistance 0520
Unusual Warmth around the North Pole May Jump-Start Arctic Ice Melt Season 0520
Ice-Free Arctic Summers Now Very Likely, Even with Climate Action 0420
Arctic May See 'Ice-Free' Summers in as Few as 15 Years 0320
Arctic Sea Ice Loss Cannot Be Rapidly Reversed, Experts Say 0120
Melting Sea Ice Is 'Atlantifying' the Arctic 1019
Shrinking Southern Sea Ice Could Be Worse than Shrinking Northern Sea Ice 0819
Loss of Arctic’s Reflective Sea Ice Will Advance Global Warming by 25 Years 0819
Arctic Summer 2019 - Record Heat, Dramatic Ice Loss, Raging Wildfires 0719
'Precipitous' Fall in Antarctic Sea Ice since 2014 Revealed 0719 But 2017-19 plunge reversed somewhat in 2020-21.
Arctic Sea Ice Extent Just Hit Record Low for Early June; Worse May Come 0619
2018 Articles and earlier
The Arctic Ocean Has Lost 95% of Its Oldest Ice, a Sign of What’s to Come 1218
With Thick Ice Gone, Arctic Sea Ice Changes More Slowly 1018
Warm Water under Arctic Ice Is a ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ 0818
Climate Change Cuts Shipping Route from China to Europe by 5,000 Miles 0818
Arctic’s Strongest Sea Ice Breaks Up for 1st Time on Record 0818
Ice-Free Arctic Projections under the Paris Agreement 0618
In the Arctic, the Old Ice Is Disappearing 0518
Western Alaska Sea Ice at Far the Lowest Extent since 1850 - 0418
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Lows off Alaska 1117
Return of ‘Ocean Chimney' the Size of Tasmania Puzzles Antarctic Scientists 1017
'Attacked from 2 Sides'- Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Another Record Low 0917
At 2017 Minimum, Scientists Ask - Is Arctic Entering the Thin Ice Age? 0917
1st Tanker Crosses Arctic Ocean without Ice Breaker 0817
Arctic Voyage Finds Global Warming Impact on Ice, Animals 0817
Speedier Sea Ice in Warming Arctic Could Spread Pollution Farther 0717
Alaska's Sea Ice Is Melting Unusually Early, 'Another Sign Arctic Is Unraveling' 0517
The Arctic as It Is Known Today Is Almost Certainly Gone 0417
The Arctic Is Warm Again Because of Course It Is 0317 Multi-year ice is down from 20% to 4% since 1985.
Ice at Both Poles Shrinks to Record Lows 0317
‘Airpocalypse’ Smog Events in China Linked to Melting Ice Cap 0317
Arctic Ice Loss Driven by Natural Swings, Not Just Humans 0317
Arctic Sea ice May Vanish, Even if World Achieves Climate Goal 0317
Why Has Antarctic Ice Set an Unexpected Record Low? 0317
1979 Arctic Model Predicted Current Sea Ice Demise, Holds Lessons for Future 0217 - ice-free in summer by mid-century
Antarctic Sea Ice Is No Longer the Darling of Climate Doubters 0217
Sea Ice around Antarctica Hits Record Low 0217
New Studies Show Rex Tillerson Is Wrong about Climate Risks 0117
Incredibly Thin Arctic Sea Ice Shocks Researchers 1216
'The Arctic Is Unraveling,' Conclude Scientists after Latest Climate Report 1216
This Is Not Normal, People - Arctic and Antarctic Hit Record Low Sea Ice 1216
Arctic Sea Ice Struggles to Build Volume 1116 fairly thick, but extent is lowest for date - for several weeks now
Arctic Sea Ice Melt Could Trigger Uncontrollable Climate Change Globally 1116
Irregular Arctic Climate Reduces Sea Ice to Another Record Low 1016
Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to 2nd Lowest Level Ever Recorded 0916
For the Melting Arctic, Fuzzy Forecasts Are the Best We Can Do 0916
Open Water near North Pole Is a Sign of a Rapidly Warming Arctic 0916
Despite Major Melt, Arctic Sea Ice Will Miss Record Low 0816
Southern Ocean Is Getting Less Salty. What That Means for the Rest of Earth 0816
‘Next Year or the Year After, the Arctic Will Be Free of Ice’ 0816 - clear sailing across the North Pole, some ice clings to north shore of Greenland
Cruel Summer - Floods, Fires and Heat 0816 - summary of Arctic sea ice in summer 2016. In late August 2016, Artic sea ice was 2nd lowest area on record.
Historical Data Shows Arctic Melt of Last 2 Decades Is 'Unprecedented' 0816
2015 Set Frenzy of Climate Records 0816
Arctic Sea Ice Crashes to Record Low for June 0716
Amid Melting Arctic Ice, Kerry Sees Looming Climate Catastrophe 0616
Melt Ponds Suggest No Arctic Sea-Ice Record This Year 0616
Arctic Sea Ice Breaks May Record ... by a Lot 0616
Fractures Seen in Rapidly Melting Arctic Sea Ice, and It's Only May 0516
Arctic Sea Ice Growth Stunted Again 0416
Arctic Sea Ice Extent Breaks Record Low for Winter 0316
Northwest Passage Foiled Centuries of Explorers, but Now Open to Cruise Liners 0316
The Arctic Just Set an Ominous New Record 0316
Arctic Warming Is Possibly Catastrophic for Planet, Climate Scientist Warns 0216
Scientists Are Floored by What’s Happening in the Arctic Right Now 0216
Unusually Warm Arctic Winter Yields Record Low Ice Extent for January 0216
As “Blue Arctic’ Expands with Warming, an Icebreaker Finds No Ice to Break 0116
Antarctic Icebergs Have Surprise Role in Slowing Warming 0116
Record High Arctic Temperatures in 2015 Having ‘Profound Effects' on Region 1215
Ice, Earth's Climate Moderator, Will Change the Arctic and Earth, When It Leaves 1115
Heat Rising from the Depths of the Arctic ‘Could Accelerate Ice Melt' 0915
Summer Sea Ice Likely to Drop to 3rd, Even 2nd, Lowest on Record 0915
Arctic Ice Grew by 1/3 after Cool Summer in 2013 - 0715
Rapid Arctic Ice Loss Linked to Extreme Weather Changes in Europe and US 0615
Young Arctic Ice Creates New Climate-Driven Era 0515
Arctic Sea Ice Extent Hits Record Low for Winter 0315
Arctic Sea Ice Dwindling Toward Record Winter Low 0315
World’s Sea Ice Still Declining, Despite Antarctica’s Gains 0215
Perennial Arctic Sea Ice Continues to Shrink 0115
Ice-Free Arctic Could Be Just 6 Years Away 1214
Why is Antarctic Ice Growing? Scientist Has an Answer 1214
Antarctic Autonomous Sub Gauges Sea Ice Thickness 1114
Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Record High, While the Arctic's Keeps Melting 1014
Melting Arctic Ice Link to Extreme Weather Explored 1014
Reflecting on the Arctic Sea Ice Meeting at the Royal Society 0914
Melt Ponds Successfully Forecast Arctic Sea-Ice Extent 0914
Arctic Sea Ice Melts to 6th-Lowest Level on Record 0914
Antarctic Ice Should Set Record, but Arctic Sea Ice Dwindles 0914
Does Antarctic Sea Ice Growth Negate Climate Change? Scientists Say No 0814
Snowpack Atop Arctic Sea Ice Has Dwindled Since 1950s - 0814
Satellite Record Error May Have Overestimated Antarctic Sea Ice Expansion 0814
Ocean Waves Influence Polar Ice Extent 0514
Climate Change Not Fully to Blame for Melting Sea Ice 0514
Warming from Arctic Sea Ice Melting Is More Dramatic than Thought 0214
As Sea Ice Shrinks, Arctic Shipping Options Expand 1213
ESA's Cryosat Sees Arctic Sea-Ice Volume Bounce Back 1213
ESA's Cryosat Mission Observes Continuing Arctic Winter Ice Decline 0913
Arctic May Be Ice-Free by 2058 0713
Large Fractures Spotted in Vulnerable Arctic Sea Ice 0313
Cryosat Spots Big Arctic Sea Ice Decline 0213
Arctic Ice Melt So Far Like 20 Years of CO2 Emissions 0912
Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Smallest Area on Record 0812
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Record Low 0812
Arctic Ice Area 2nd Lowest, Volume Lowest 0911
Arctic Ice Levels Hit Historic Low 0911
Albedo Effect of Retreating Arctic Sea Ice - Hudson 0811 - PDF Albedo warming effect of complete Arctic Ocean ice loss is ~1/4 of the rise since 1750 from added GHGs. ~15% of that ice albedo warming effect has already occurred.
Cryosat Mission Delivers First Arctic Sea-Ice Thickness Map 0611
Arctic Ocean Ice Thinnest to Date 0610
Ice Volume 1979-2009 - 0410 - GRAPH
Arctic Sea Ice Far More Fragile 1109
Multi-Year Arctic Ice Gone 1109
Arctic Summer Sea Ice to Vanish in 10-20 Years 1009
Arctic Sea Ice Now More Thin Than Thick 0709
Pacific Air Enters, Warms Arctic 1208
Arctic Sea Ice Volume at Record Low 1008
Vegetation Change (-25% to +25%), 2012 vs 1982
Sea Surface Change (-11° to +11°F), 2013 vs 1982-2006 Mean
1970-2012
Ice extent includes any areas (satellite photo pixel style) that are at least 15% ice covered on that date. In contrast, area translates 15% ice covered to 15% area. Area is less than extent.
Section Map: Ice