Tietsche, S., D. Notz, J. H. Jungclaus, and J. Marotzke. Explore NASA satellite data using interactive maps that show how the Arctic is changing over time. The December monthly average extent was 9.30 million square kilometers (3.59 million square miles). The report focuses on conditions over the past year in the Arctic. Slightly above-average extent remained along much of the East Antarctic coast. Total ice extent is less variable this time of year as compared to summer. At this point, the issue remains open. Looking for facts and information? General public and data users: Each year, the extent line follows a similar path: starting high in January, rising through the time of the maximum (between early March and mid-April), falling until mid-September, and rising again through the remainder of the calendar year. The graph above shows Arctic sea ice extent as of July 15, 2020, along with daily ice extent data for four previous years and the record low year. Although it’s nowhere near the bottom of the pack, the 2020 extent line does land in the lower half of the satellite record. Compared to the 1980s, very little sea ice survives multiple years in the Arctic now. The story is much different in the Antarctic. Through the first half of July 2020, sea ice extent declined by an average of 146,000 square kilometers (56,400 square miles) per day, considerably faster than the 1981 to 2010 average rate of 85,900 square kilometers (33,200 square miles) per day  (Figure 2a). Figure 2a. Air temperatures in the Arctic region were above average throughout the year, particularly during spring and summer. Figure 3. Credit: National Snow and Ice Data CenterHigh-resolution image. Modeling studies helped gain a better understanding of what the future holds. The seasonal maximum, reached on March 13, was seventh lowest in the satellite record. Scambos is the lead American scientific coordinator for the mission and a member of the Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network (TARSAN) project team. Thoman, Jr., R. L., U. S. Bhatt, P. A. Bieniek, B. R. Brettschneider, M. Brubaker, S. L. Danielson, Z. Labe, R. Lader, W. N. Meier, G. Sheffield, and J. E. Walsh. In contrast to recent years, the 2020 wintertime sea ice extents were closer to the long-term average in the Barents Sea (north of Norway and western Russia) and the Bering Sea (south of the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska). For news, data and comments go to the Arctic Sea Ice Blog; For discussions go to the Arctic Sea Ice Forum; Images showing 7-day forecasts, 5-day weather outlook maps can be found here; Retrieved from Climate Reanalyzer, developed by the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine to provide an intuitive platform for visualizing a variety of weather and climate datasets and models Explore NASA satellite data using interactive maps that show how the Arctic is changing over time. The extreme conditions of the far north have offered unique challenges to the scientists, including the arrival of a major storm that opened up a lead directly under their research site. Sea surface temperatures, as shown in Upper layer Temperature of the Polar Oceans (UpTempO) buoys, were above average throughout the summer, with temperatures in many ice-free areas exceeding 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above average. Although Arctic sea ice has not declined in winter as rapidly as it has in summer, winter sea ice is now well below the 1981–2010 average. About the dataCredit: National Snow and Ice Data CenterHigh-resolution image. Figure 1: 10-year averages between 1979 and 2018 and yearly averages for 2007, 2012, and 2020 of the daily (a) ice extent and (b) ice area in the Northern Hemisphere and a listing of the extent and area of the current, historical mean, minimum, and maximum values in km2. In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer ice loss rate slowed somewhat during the month. It was the 11 th-lowest maximum in the 42-year satellite record. It was the 11th-lowest maximum in the 42-year satellite record. A., and S. J. Vavrus. The graph above shows Arctic sea ice extent as of July 15, 2020, along with daily ice extent data for four previous years and the record low year. See About the Cryosphere. Autumn freeze up was slow. Antarctic sea ice extent as of July 15 was slightly below the 1981 to 2010 average, continuing the trend for nearly every day this year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently published their Special Report on the Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, providing an overview of the state of the science. Another way to examine decadal changes is by comparing decadal averages. There were significant research advances in the past decade, far more than can be recapped here. The Siberian heat wave this past spring initiated early ice retreat along the Russian coast, leading to very low sea ice extent in the Laptev and Barents Seas. Looking for facts and information? Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125, e2019JC016008. Your burning questions about snow and ice. In mid-December, NSIDC senior research scientist and ASINA-contributor Julienne Stroeve joined the second leg of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Change (MOSAiC) expedition. Figure 2a. In December, the Chukchi Sea finally completely refroze, Hudson Bay iced over, and sea ice extended south into the Bering Sea. Arctic snow depth and sea ice thickness from ICESat‐2 and CryoSat‐2 freeboards: A first examination. Jennifer Francis at the University of Rutgers and Steve Vavrus at the University of Wisconsin (Francis and Vavrus, 2012) argued for a link between the Arctic warming and changes in the jet stream that would result in more extremes in mid-latitude weather. Contact NSIDC User Services or call +1 303.492.6199 Accessed March 24, 2020. Yellows and reds indicate high air pressure; blues and purples indicate low pressure.Credit: NSIDC courtesy NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences DivisionHigh-resolution image, Figure 2d. 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