Summary‍

Climate change is rapidly melting sea ice. Sea ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctic destroys wildlife and contributes to rising sea levels. The same trend is happening to glaciers on land. There is 37% less sea ice today in September than there was 40 years ago. As ocean temperatures increase this trend will only accelerate. 

The data

This visualization tracks Arctic Sea Ice Extent in September since 1979. Sea ice extent refers to the total area of the ocean covered by at least 15% sea ice concentration. September is typically the month with the minimum arctic sea ice extent. The values in the plot represent the monthly mean across September for each year. The 37% change is calculated using 10-year averages.

Citation

Fetterer, F., Knowles, K., Meier, W. N., Savoie, M. & Windnagel, A. K. (2017). Sea Ice Index. (G02135, Version 3). [Data Set]. Boulder, Colorado USA. National Snow and Ice Data Center. https://doi.org/10.7265/N5K072F8.

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